Trends of Stroke Incidence and 28-Day All-Cause Mortality after a Stroke in Malaysia: A Linkage of National Data Sources

BACKGROUND: Data on nationwide trends for stroke metrics are crucial to understand the extent of the disease burden to a country’s health system. Yet, this information remains scarce in low- and middle-income countries. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated trends of stroke incidence and 28-day all-cause mortality after a stroke from 2008 to 2016 in Malaysia, through linkage across national data sources. METHODS: Hospital admissions with a principal diagnosis of stroke or transient ischemic attack were included. Cases with first stroke were identified through linkage of hospital admission registers where age and sex-standardized trends of stroke incidence and its subtypes were calculated. By linking hospital registers to the National Death Register, the 28-day all-cause mortality rates after a stroke were estimated. Mann-Kendall’s test was used for trend evaluation. RESULTS: From 243,765 records, the trend of stroke incidence showed an increase of 4.9% in men and a drop of 3.8% among women. Incidences were higher in men, at 99.1 per 100,000 population in 2008 and 103.9 per 100,000 in 2016 than women (80.3 per 100,000 in 2008 and 77.2 per 100,000 in 2016). There was a substantial increase in stroke incidence among those below 65 years old, with the largest increase of 53.3% in men aged between 35–39 years and 50.4% in women of similar age group. The trend for 28-day all-cause mortality showed a decline for men at –13.1% and women, –10.6%. Women had higher mortality from stroke (22.0% in 2008 and 19.7% in 2016) than men (19.4% in 2008 to 17.2% in 2016). CONCLUSION: This first empirical study on stroke trends in Malaysia revealed a worrying increase in stroke incidence among the younger population. Despite a declining trend, mortality rates remained moderately high especially in women. Comprehensive strategies to strengthen the prevention and management of stroke care are warranted.