How stroke mortality has changed in South America over the past 30 years
AND strokebetter known as strokeoccurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or a blood vessel inside or on the surface of the brain. It is a medical emergency serious a requires immediate medical attention.
Researchers from Brazil they studied how the death rate has changed have a stroke in South America. They did an observational study that was published in a journal Epidemiology.
When executing data analysisfound these changes more than 30 years:
- The absolute number of deaths from stroke increased when considering all age groups and for both sexes: it rose from 184,251 deaths in 1990 to 228,661 in 2019. This represents an increase of 24.1%.
- Age-standardized stroke mortality showed considerable variability: it decreased by 1.6% in Argentina, 0.6% in Uruguay, 0.5% in Brazil, 0.5% in Guyana and 0.5% in Guyana by 4% in Bolivia. On the other hand, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru showed a stationary trend, while Venezuela and Suriname had an increasing trend of 1.6% and 1.0%, respectively.
According to researchers who belong to Saint Paul University already Federal University of Espírito Santo, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Guyana and Uruguay are the countries that recorded the highest death rates. Although they lowered it, it remained at a high level. They used the Joinpoint regression model for their work, which allows them to analyze mortality statistics.
They pointed out what they are causes of stroke mortality in South America and there it is much to be done to reduce the number of cases, consequences and mortality. One reason is that people have limiting access control to risk factors such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, cholesterol problems.
It was also mentioned that the symptoms of acute stroke are not recognized in time and that there are difficulties with quality hospital care for reperfusion therapy and a lack of rehabilitation services.
Symptoms of a stroke can be: difficulty speaking and understanding what others are saying, numbness, weakness or paralysis of the face, arms or legs, problems seeing in one or both eyes, sudden severe headache and problems walking.
After giving reasons, they wrote: “They may lead to higher mortality in middle-income countries such as South America compared to high-income countries.
from Colombia, Claudio Alejandro Jiménez Monsalvea neurologist and co-director of the Simón Bolívar Hospital Stroke Center in Bogotá and a member as a future leader of the World Stroke Organization, after reading the study by Brazilian scientists, noted:
“Stroke mortality in South America has seen important changes in recent decades. Between 1990 and 2019, total stroke deaths increased by 24.1%, an increase of 17,000 deaths each year.
However, the age-standardized death rate, which takes into account the age distribution of the population, has decreased in countries such as Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
“This can mainly be explained by reasons such as the increase in the elderly population. “Currently, South America’s population is known to be aging rapidly, which is associated with a higher risk of stroke due to a higher prevalence of age-related risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and atrial fibrillation,” he noted. Colombian expert.
Despite reductions in age-standardized mortality rates in several countries, the absolute number of deaths from stroke in South America continues to increase due to population growth and especially aging.
According to Dr. Jiménez Monsalve, there is much to do in the prevention of the disease in order to further reduce the mortality rate. “It requires a cultural transformationespecially in a culture of self-care that involves modifying lifestyle habits,” he said. On an individual level, he recommended:
- Maintain a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and grains and low in saturated fat and sodium (especially reduce consumption of ultra-processed foods)
- Engage in regular physical activity: at least 30 minutes of walking or running most days of the week.
- Eliminate tobacco and alcohol use, as both are strongly associated with a higher risk of stroke (especially in the young population).
- Monitor blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels and follow recommended treatment
Meanwhile, the specialist noted that he and his work team are thinking that “when we save brain tissue, we save social tissue. Because every time a person suffers a stroke, the fabric of society is weakened. Therefore, the community and institutions must commit to promoting stroke education and awareness by raising awareness of risk factors, symptoms and the importance of early medical care,” he said.
It is also known that “the best shot is the one that misses“, he noted. “It is crucial that every country implement a public prevention policy, regulate the sale and advertising of tobacco and alcohol products, promote the availability of healthy food and encourage the creation of public spaces for physical activity,” he said. Jimenez Monsalve.
Meanwhile, in dialogue with Infobaeneurologist Conrado Estol, founder of the Breyna Health Center and director of the first stroke unit at the Güemes Sanatorium. Argentinafor “The central finding of the published study is troubling. “Despite the increase in stroke cases, linked to factors such as population aging and increased obesity, the increase in mortality is paradoxical.”
During the analyzed period, “significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of stroke were noted and the number of specialist doctors increased”. He agreed with the authors in the recommendations to improve prevention and treatment.
“Today, there is an urgent need to develop more stroke units in the region. Just as the coronary unit in the hospital is essential for improving the results of the treatment of heart attacks, it has been shown that patients treated in stroke units have a lower mortality rate,” stressed Estol.
Caring for patients on these types of units “reduces the risk of disability outcomes and requires shorter hospital stays. Hospitalization costs will also be reduced. The creation of units should be a priority in South America to optimize stroke care“.