Fact Sheets and At–a–Glance Reports

Stroke Fact Sheet

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*Stroke death rates are spatially smoothed to enhance the stability of rates in counties with small populations.
Source: Atlas of Stroke Mortality: Racial, Ethnic, and Geographic Disparities in the United States, January 2004.

Stroke Facts

• Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of serious, long–term disability.¹

• In 2003, stroke killed 157,689 people (61% of them women), accounting for about 1 of every 15 deaths. The age–adjusted death rate was 54 per 100,000 population.^1,2

• Stroke death rates are substantially higher for African Americans than for whites. In 2003 rates per 100,000 population were 80 for black men, 70 for black women, 52 for white men, and 51 for white women.²

• For other racial and ethnic groups in the United States, 2003 stroke death rates per 100,000 population were 45 for Asians/Pacific Islanders, 41 for Hispanics, and 35 for American Indians/Alaska Natives.³

• In the United States, the highest death rates from stroke are located primarily along the southeastern coastal plains, inland through the southern regions of South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, and along the lower Mississippi River Valley.⁴

• Each year, about 700,000 people suffer a stroke; 500,000 first attacks and 200,000 recurrent attacks.¹

• Atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, smoking, or physical inactivity can increase an individual's risk of stroke.¹

• In 2006, stroke is projected to cost $57.9 billion, including health care services, medications, and lost productivity.¹

CDC Activities to Reduce the Stroke Burden

CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program
CDC currently funds health departments in 32 states and the District of Columbia to develop effective strategies to reduce the burden of heart disease and stroke and related risk factors. This program emphasizes the need for policy and program changes that promote heart–healthy and stroke–free living and working conditions. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/cvh/state_program/index.htm.

Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry
CDC funds four state health departments (Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, and North Carolina) to establish state–based Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registries with the mission of monitoring, promoting, and improving the quality of acute stroke care in their states. These were established after testing and evaluating eight prototype projects. The data collected will guide quality improvement interventions at the hospital level that will fill the gap between clinical guidelines and practice. The registries will help facilitate necessary policy and system changes at national, state, and local levels that will result in improvement in patient outcomes. The long–term goal of this program is to ensure that all Americans receive the highest quality of acute stroke care that is available to reduce untimely deaths, prevent disability, and avoid recurrent strokes.

Stroke Networks
Stroke networks allow state health departments and their partners to share and coordinate prevention activities and advocacy strategies. CDC supports the Tri–State Stroke Network in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina and the Delta State Stroke Consortium in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

Atlas of Stroke Mortality: Racial, Ethnic, and Geographic Disparities in the United States
This publication is the third in a series of CDC atlases related to cardiovascular disease. It presents, for the first time, an extensive series of national and state maps depicting disparities in county–level stroke death rates for the five largest U.S. racial and ethnic groups. This information will help health professionals and concerned citizens tailor prevention policies and programs to communities with the greatest burden of stroke. An interactive version of the atlas is available at www.cdc.gov/cvh/maps.

For More Information

For more information about stroke warning signs, risk factors, prevention, treatment, and new research, please visit the following Web sites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its partners.

CDC's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/

American Heart Association
http://www.americanheart.org*

American Stroke Association
http://www.strokeassociation.org*

National Stroke Association
http://www.stroke.org*

Brain Attack Coalition
http://www.stroke-site.org*

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
http://www.cms.hhs.gov

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
http://www.ninds.nih.gov

References

1. American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2006 Update. Dallas, Texas: American Heart Association, 2006.
2. Hoyert DL, Heron MP, Murphy SL, Kung H. Deaths: Final Data for 2003. National vital statistics reports; vol 54 no 13. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2006.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health, United States, 2005 with Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans. Hyattsville, MD:National Center for Health Statistics, 2005.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Stroke Death Rates Map, 1999–2004: Adults Ages 35 Years and Older by County. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/library/maps/index.htm (please see map above).

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*Links to non–Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.
 

Page last reviewed: February 26, 2008
Page last modified: February 26, 2008
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion