Stroke Mortality Trends in the Population of Klaipeda From 1994 to 2008

The objective of the study was to evaluate the trends in stroke mortality in the population of Klaipeda aged 35-79 years from 1994 to 2008. Material and Methods. Mortality data on all permanent residents of Klaipeda aged 35-79 years who died from stroke in 1994-2008 were gathered for the study. All death certificates of permanent residents of Klaipeda aged 35-79 years who died during 1994-2008 were examined in this study. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 codes 430-436, and ICD-10 codes I60-I64) was used. Sex-specific mortality rates were standardized according to the Segi's world population; all the mortality rates were calculated per 100 000 population per year. Trends in stroke mortality were estimated using log-linear regression models. Sex-specific mortality rates and trends were calculated for 3 age groups (35-79, 35-64, and 65-79 years). Results. During the entire study period (1994-2008), a marked decline in stroke mortality with a clear slowdown after 2002 was observed. The average annual percent changes in mortality rates for men and women aged 35-79 years were -4.6% (P=0.041) and -6.5% (P=0.002), respectively. From 1994 to 2002, the stroke mortality rate decreased consistently among both Klaipeda men and women aged 35-64 years (20.4% per year, P=0.002, and 14.7% per year, P=0.006, respectively) and in the elderly population aged 65-79 years (13.8% per year. P=0.005: and 12% per year, P=0.019). During 2003-2008, stroke mortality increased by 16.3% per year in middle-aged men (35-64 years), whereas among women (aged 35-64 and 65-79 years) and elderly men (aged 65-79 years), the age-adjusted mortality rate remained relatively unchanged. Conclusions. Among both men and women, the mortality rates from stroke sharply declined between 1994 and 2008 with a clear slowdown in the decline after 2002. Stroke mortality increased significantly among middle-aged men from 2003, while it remained without significant changes among women of the same age and both elderly men and women.