Stroke Epidemiology in Taiwan, 1996-2005

Stroke is the third most common cause of death in developed countries. According to the report from Department of Health statistics in Taiwan, the cerebrovascular disease was the second leading cause of death in the last 10 years, and was also the major cause of disability.

After analyzing the data of national health insurance and national mortality from 1996 to 2005 in Taiwan, the age standardized stroke incidence from 1996 to 2004 were between 301-323 cases per 100000 persons, but dropped to 291 cases per 100000 persons in 2005. The age standardized stroke incidence in males was 1.18-1.37 times greater than those in females during past ten years. Age standardized stroke prevalence raised slightly from 519 cases per 100000 persons in 2000 to 549 cases per 100000 persons in 2004. The age standardized stroke prevalence among males was 1.28-1.32 times greater than those among females during these years. However, the mortality of stroke was steadily decreased from 2000 to 2004. The medical cost in stroke was raised from 4 billion in 1996 to 7 billion in 2005. Both average years of potential life lost(APLL)and disability adjusted APLL for stroke were higher in males than in females between 2000 and 2005. APLL was 12.97-14.53 years for males and 11.64-12.98 years for females during these six years. Disability adjusted APLL due to stroke was 13.1-13.9 years in males and 12.0-12.4 years in females. In conclusion, it was recommended to pay more attention on the stroke prevention in Taiwan, especially for males.