Cerebrovascular disease type specific mortality: 1968-1977.

Death certificates for the period 1968-1977 were examined to determine the trend, in the United States, of cerebrovascular disease death rates by type of event and demographic subgroup. The largest declines were for hemorrhagic strokes and among nonwhites. The number of hemorrhagic stroke deaths declined by 45 percent and th age-adjusted rate declined by 53 percent. Similar figures for nonwhites were 18 percent and 36 percent, respectively. It was surprising to note that the number of cerebrovascular deaths reported as poorly defined rose by 17 percent. Data on hypertension were examined. The possibility that the results with respect to hypertension are artifactual indicates the need for clinical studies which will examine the relationship between hypertension and cerebrovascular disease mortality.