Background and purpose: The purpose of the present study was to estimate the time trends of stroke during the last 10 years in an Estonian population by comparison of the results from the 2 previous stroke registries from Tartu.
Methods: The Third Stroke Registry in Tartu was conducted from January 12, 2001, to November 30, 2003. The previous registry was composed from January 1, 1991, to December 31, 1993. The design of both studies is similar, using the same study criteria and classification schemes.
Results: A total of 1280 patients with first-ever stroke were registered during the 5-year study period. The overall incidence rate of 230 per 100,000 declined between the studies to 188 per 100,000 age-standardized to the European standard population. The age-adjusted incidence rate for women decreased from 204 to 164 per 100,000 between the 2 periods. In most of the age groups, the overall case-fatality rates declined during the second period; the trend in the age group 75 to 84 years was statistically significant.
Conclusions: The incidence of first-ever stroke in Tartu has declined significantly during the past decade and reached the level of the first registry. The 28-day case-fatality rate has declined from 30% to 26%. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, incidence of stroke, and ischemic heart disease has been high in Eastern European countries. Our data show that the situation has improved.