Survey of Stroke Epidemiology Studies

The Committee on Criteria and Methods of the Epidemiological Council of the American Heart Association conducted a survey of epidemiological studies of stroke. A questionnaire was sent to investigators who were involved in stroke epidemiological research. Forty studies have been reviewed. Stroke epidemiological studies include a wide range of populations and geographic areas of the United States. Of the 12 prospective studies only five were primarily stroke-oriented, while the remaining initially involved the study of coronary artery disease. Relatively few stroke studies identify cases by clinical examination at the time of the stroke; most depend on examination sometime after the stroke, review of hospital records, physician's reports and patient interviews. In relatively few of the studies are the cases being examined by a neurologist. There is a need for better methods of stroke-case ascertainment, for standardized diagnostic techniques that can be used in field studies, and for the evaluation of specific disabilities following a stroke.