For three years we studied the mortality and functional situation of all patients admitted in 1991 to the Neurology Service suffering from acute stroke with the exception of subarachnoid haemorrhage cases. We analyzed the cause of death whether directly related to the initial illness or not. Out of 134 patients admitted for acute stroke, 48 (41.02% of the 117 patients examined after excluding 17 whom we did not obtain complete information from) had died after three years. The main causes of death were directly related to acute stroke (37.5%) and pneumonia (37.5%). Death occurred mainly in the first month (79.16% of deaths). Predictive variables for mortality directly related to acute stroke during the first month include severe weakness, brain haemorrhage, dysphasia and earlier incidence of acute stroke. Variables related to higher mortality rate due to other causes in the first month were dysphasia, age and angina antecedents, whereas earlier incidence of acute stroke was associated with a lesser mortality rate for these causes, as distinct from acute stroke itself. Greater levels of weakness and sphincteral incontinence are the best predictive signs of dependency functional situation at the end of the first month and, along with diabetes, after one and three years.