Age-adjusted mortality rates from stroke and cardiac arrest decreased from 77.38 in 1999 to 28.47 in 2023, with significant demographic disparities persisting.
While stroke and cardiac arrest mortality rates in older US adults have significantly decreased over the past two decades, substantial racial, sex, and geographic disparities persist.
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Background: Stroke and cardiac arrest have historically ranked among the leading causes of mortality in the United States. Advances in healthcare procedures and public health policies over the past two decades have aimed to reduce the burden of these diseases. Analyzing the long-term mortality trends associated with both conditions is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness and the limitations of these health reforms. This study aims to assess the trends in mortality due to stroke and cardiac arrest in US adults aged > 65, stratified by demographics and geography. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive retrospective analysis of the CDC WONDER mortality data from 1999 to 2023 for individuals aged 65+ years. Stroke and Cardiac arrest were identified using ICD-10 codes I60-I64 and I46, respectively. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) per 100,000 were calculated, and trends were analyzed by gender, race, region and metropolitan status. Join-point regression was used to calculate annual percentage changes (APC) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05. Results: A total of 470,876 deaths were attributed to Stroke and Cardiac arrest in individuals from 1999 to 2023. The AAMR per 100,000 decreased from 77.38 in 1999 to 28.47 in 2023. From 1999-2023, both sexes show reductions with higher AAMRs in males (82.92-31.5) compared to females (73.67-25.92). The Non-Hispanic (NH) Black or African American displayed the highest overall AAMR (75.89), followed by NH Asian or Pacific Islander (73.31), Hispanic or Latino (62.47), and NH White (40.26). Geographically, The AAMR for the West ranged from 120.08 in 1999 to 44.22 in 2023, followed by the Northeast (87.11-38.75), the South (74.46-19.93), and the Midwest (39.06-17.45). Metropolitan areas had the highest overall AAMR (46.63) while nonmetropolitan areas had the lowest (41.71). Conclusion: Mortality rates due to stroke and cardiac arrest have decreased in the United States over the last two decades. However, significant disparities still exist across different sexes, age, race/ethnicity, and geographic regions. These disparities highlight the need for targeted interventions and improvement of clinical care facilities in high-risk populations.
Jairamani et al. (Thu,) reported a other. Age-adjusted mortality rates from stroke and cardiac arrest decreased from 77.38 in 1999 to 28.47 in 2023, with significant demographic disparities persisting.