Korean Circ J.  2016 Jul;46(4):507-514. 10.4070/kcj.2016.46.4.507.

Thirty-Year Trends in Mortality from Cerebrovascular Diseases in Korea

• Lee SW
• Kim HC
• Lee HS
• Suh I

• KMID: 2344425
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4070/kcj.2016.46.4.507

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Cerebrovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in Korea. Understanding of cerebrovascular disease mortality trends is important to reduce the health burden from cerebrovascular diseases. We examined the changing pattern of mortality related to cerebrovascular disease in Korea over 30 years from 1983 to 2012.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
Numbers of deaths from cerebrovascular disease, hemorrhagic stroke, and cerebral infarction were obtained from the national Cause of Death Statistics. Crude and age-adjusted mortality rates were calculated for men and women for each year. Penalized B-spline methods, which reduce bias and variability in curve fitting, were used to identify the trends of 30-year mortality and identify the year of highest mortality.
RESULTS
During the 30 years, cerebrovascular disease mortality has markedly declined. The age-adjusted cerebrovascular disease mortality rate has decreased by 78% in men and by 68% in women. In the case of hemorrhagic stroke, crude mortality peaked in 2001 but age-adjusted mortality peaked in 1994. Between 1994 and 2012, age-adjusted mortality from hemorrhagic stroke has decreased by 68% in men and 59% in women. In the case of cerebral infarction, crude and age-adjusted mortality rates steeply increased until 2004 and 2003, respectively, and both rates decreased rapidly thereafter.
CONCLUSION
Cerebrovascular disease mortality rate has significantly decreased over the last 30 years in Korea, but remains a health burden. The prevalence of major cardiovascular risk factors are still highly prevalent in Korea.

Keyword

Cerebrovascular disorders; Stroke; Mortality; Trends; Korea

MeSH Terms

Bias (Epidemiology)
Cause of Death
Cerebral Infarction
Cerebrovascular Disorders*
Female
Humans
Korea*
Male
Mortality*
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Stroke

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Number of deaths from cerebrovascular disease.

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  Fig. 2 Crude and age-adjusted mortality from cerebrovascular diseases fitted by Penalized B-Splines method. (A) Crude mortality from cerebrovascular diseases in men. (B) Crude mortality from cerebrovascular diseases in women. (C) Age-adjusted mortality from cerebrovascular diseases in men. (D) Age-adjusted mortality from cerebrovascular diseases in women.

• 

  Fig. 3 Crude and age-adjusted mortality from hemorrhagic stroke fitted by Penalized B-Splines method. (A) Crude mortality from hemorrhagic stroke in men. (B) Crude mortality from hemorrhagic stroke in women. (C) Age-adjusted mortality from hemorrhagic stroke in men. (D) Age-adjusted mortality from hemorrhagic stroke in women.

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  Fig. 4 Crude and age-adjusted mortality from cerebral infarction fitted by Penalized B-Splines method. (A) Crude mortality from cerebral infarction in men. (B) Crude mortality from cerebral infarction in women. (C) Age-adjusted mortality from cerebral infarction in men. (D) Age-adjusted mortality from cerebral infarction in women.

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