Global, regional, and national burden of stroke from 1990 to 2019: A temporal trend analysis based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability worldwide. However, how the prevalence of stroke varies across the world is uncertain.Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze temporal trends of prevalence for stroke, including ischemic stroke (IS), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) at the global, regional, and national levels.Methods: The age-standardized prevalence rates (ASPR) of stroke, IS, ICH, and SAH, along with their corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UI), were derived from data in the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019. This provides estimates for the burden of 369 diseases and injuries globally in 2019, as well as their temporal trends over the past 30 years. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to analyze the 1990-2019 temporal trends by calculating the annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC), as well as their 95% confidence interval (CI).Results: In 2019, the global ASPR of stroke was 1240.263 per 100,000 population (95% UI: 1139.711 to 1352.987), with ASPRs generally lower in Europe compared to other regions. Over the period from 1990 to 2019, a significant global decrease in ASPR was observed for stroke (AAPC -0.200, 95% CI: -0.215 to -0.183), IS (AAPC -0.059%, 95% CI: -0.077 to -0.043), SAH (AAPC -0.476, 95% CI: -0.483 to -0.469), and ICH (AAPC -0.626, 95% CI: -0.642 to -0.611). The trends of ASPR of stroke, IS, SAH, and ICH varied significantly across 204 countries and territories.Conclusion: Our findings highlight significant global disparities in stroke prevalence, emphasizing the need for ongoing monitoring and intensified efforts in developing regions to reduce the global burden of stroke.