Objectives: The incidence of ischemic stroke has increased and that of hemorrhagic stroke has decreased in urban China; however, the trends in rural areas are unknown. We aimed to explore the secular trends in incidence and transition of stroke subtypes among rural Chinese.
Methods: This was a population-based stroke surveillance through the Tianjin Brain Study. A total of 14,538 residents in a township of Ji County in Tianjin, China participated in the study since 1985. We investigated the age-standardized stroke incidence (sex-specific, type-specific, and age-specific), the annual proportion of change in the incidence of stroke, and the proportion of intracerebral hemorrhage in the periods 1992-1998, 1999-2005, and 2006-2012, because the neuroimaging technique was available since 1992 in this area.
Results: The age-standardized incidence per 100,000 person-years increased significantly for both intracerebral hemorrhage (37.8 in 1992-1998, 46.5 in 1999-2005, and 76.5 in 2006-2012) and ischemic stroke (83.9 in 1992-1998, 135.3 in 1999-2005, and 238.0 in 2006-2012). The age-standardized incidence of first-ever stroke increased annually by 4.9% for intracerebral hemorrhage and by 7.3% for ischemic stroke. The greatest increase was observed in men aged 45-64 years for both stroke types (P < 0.001). The proportion of intracerebral hemorrhage was stable overall, increased among men aged 45-64 years, and decreased among men aged ≥65 years. The average age of intracerebral hemorrhage in men reduced by 7.5 years from 1992 to 2012.
Conclusion: The age-standardized incidence of main stroke subtypes increased significantly in rural China over the past 21 years; the overall proportion of intracerebral hemorrhage was stable, but the incidence increased significantly among middle-aged men. These findings imply that it is crucial to control stroke risk factors in middle-aged men for stroke prevention in future decades.