Temporal trends in stroke incidence and case-fatality rates in Arcadia, Greece: A sequential, prospective, population-based study

Background: Stroke incidence and case-fatality are reported to decline in high-income countries during the last decades. Epidemiological studies are important for health services to organize prevention and treatment strategies. Aims: The aim of this population-based study was to determine temporal trends of stroke incidence and case-fatality rates of first-ever stroke in Arcadia, a prefecture in southern Greece. Methods: All first-ever stroke cases in the Arcadia prefecture were ascertained using the same standard criteria and multiple overlapping sources in three study periods: from November 1993 to October 1995; 2004; and 2015–2016. Crude and age-adjusted to European population incidence rates were compared using Poisson regression. Twenty-eight days case fatality rates were estimated and compared using the same method. Results: In total, 1315 patients with first-ever stroke were identified. The age-standardized incidence to the European population was 252 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI 231–239) in 1993/1995, 252 (95% CI 223–286) in 2004, and 211 (192–232) in 2015/2016. The overall age- and sex-adjusted incidence rates fell by 16% (incidence rates ratio 0.84, 95% CI: 0.72–0.97). Similarly, 28-day case-fatality rate decreased by 28% (case fatality rate ratio = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.58–0.90). Conclusions: This population-based study reports a significant decline in stroke incidence and mortality rates in southern Greece between 1993 and 2016.