Hospitalizations for Incident Stroke in Shunde District, Foshan, South China

BACKGROUND/AIM: Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in China. Accurate diagnosis of stroke type requires advanced imaging techniques. However, CT scan and MRI were not widely used in China until the middle 1990s. We estimate the stroke incidence based on stroke hospitalizations in Shunde District, Foshan, south China. METHODS: Stroke hospitalization rates were calculated for different age strata using the number of cases observed and the population size of Shunde in 2005 and 2006. RESULTS: The age-adjusted hospitalization rates (per 100,000 person-years) for all strokes were 57.4 overall, 65.1 for males and 50.0 for females, standardized according to Segi's world population. CONCLUSION: The stroke incidence appeared to be lower in Shunde than those reported for other parts of China.