Trend in stroke mortality in Chile from 1980 to 2015

Background: Stroke is the third largest single cause of death in Chile, responsible for 7.3% of all deaths in 2019. Large declines in stroke mortality rates in most Latin American countries in recent decades have been reported. Aim: To analyze the trend in stroke mortality in Chile between 1980 and 2015. Material and Methods: We extracted data for age-standardized death rate (ASDR) stroke mortality per 100,000 inhabitants in Chile for the period 1980-2015 from the WHO Mortality Database. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to analyze the trend and compute the average annual percent change (AAPC) by gender in Chile. Results: The ASDR from stroke decreased from 92.8 per 100,000 in 1980 to 34.4 per 100,000 in 2015. The AAPC was -2.8% (-3.5, -2.1), with two jointpoints, 2008 and 2012. By gender, the AAPC was -2.4% and -2.9% in men and women, respectively. Conclusions: Stroke mortality rate decreased significantly between 1980 and 2015 in Chile, mainly in women.