The impact of temporal trends in stroke event rates and 30-day case fatality on trends in stroke mortality: an international comparative study

BACKGROUND: Stroke mortality rates have declined in recent decades; however, data on contemporary drivers of this trend are limited. This study compared the contribution of trends in stroke event rates and 30-day case fatality to declines in stroke mortality from 2002 to 2018. METHODS: Linked hospitalization and mortality data were obtained from Western Australia (WA), England, New Zealand, British Columbia (BC), and Ontario. Age-standardized and age-specific stroke mortality and event rates and 30-day case fatality were calculated and age-adjusted trends estimated from Poisson and binomial regression models. The relative contribution of trends in stroke events and 30-day case fatality to trends in stroke mortality were calculated. RESULTS: There were 2 248 242 stroke events identified. Age-adjusted reductions in event rates ranged from -0.96%/year [95% confidence interval (CI) - 1.22, 0.70%] in men in WA to -2.51%/year (95% CI -2.61, -2.40%) in women in Ontario. Age-standardized 30-day case fatality was highest in England in 2002 (men 43.7%, women 45.5%), but declined at a greater rate than in other jurisdictions. Declines in stroke mortality ranged from -3.3%/year to -5.5%/year. Reductions in 30-day case fatality were the major contributor to declines in stroke mortality [range: men, 63.5% (Ontario)-80.9% (England); women, 55.3% (BC)-73.1% (England)]. In people aged <65 years, stroke mortality declines were almost completely driven by reductions in 30-day case fatality with increasing or attenuated event rates among those aged 35-64 years. CONCLUSION: Improvements in 30-day case fatality had a greater impact on stroke mortality than trends in event rates, suggesting that further gains could be achieved with targeted prevention. Adverse trends in event rates in people aged <65 years could signal future increases in stroke mortality.