Background: Unlike the western hemisphere, information about
stroke epidemiology in southern Iran is scarce. The aim of this
study was to determine the main epidemiological characteristics
of patients with stroke and its mortality rate in southern Iran.
Methods: A retrospective, single-center, hospital-based
longitudinal study was performed at Nemazee Hospital in
Shiraz, Southern Iran. Patients with a diagnosis of hemorrhagic
and ischemic strokes were identified based on the International
Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10th editions, for the period
between 2001 and 2010. Demographics including age, sex,
area of residence, socioeconomic status, length of hospital
stay, and discharge destinations were analyzed in association
with mortality.
Results: 16351 patients with a mean age of 63.4 years (95% CI:
63.1, 63.6) were included in this analysis. Men were slightly
predominant (53.6% vs. 46.4%). Forty-seven percent of the total
sample was older than 65,17% were younger than 45, and 2.6%
were children younger than 18. The mean hospital stay was
6.3 days (95% CI: 6.2, 6.4). Among all types of strokes, the
overall hospital mortality was 20.5%. Multiple logistic regression
revealed significantly higher in-hospital mortality in women and
children (P<0.001) but not in patients with low socioeconomic
status or from rural areas. During the study period, the mortality
proportions increased from 17.8% to 22.2%.
Conclusion: In comparison to western countries, a larger
proportion of our patients were young adults and the mortality
rate was higher