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Notice to Readers: Release of Atlas Highlighting Burden of Stroke Death
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of serious, long-term disability.
Each year, approximately 700,000 U.S. residents experience a new or recurrent stroke; an estimated 500,000 residents will
have their first stroke (1). In 1999, a total of 167,000 deaths from stroke occurred; of these, approximately half occurred out
of hospital (2). A new ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø report,
TheAtlas of Stroke Mortality: Racial, Ethnic, and Geographic Disparities in the United
States (3)provides, for the first time, an extensive series of national and state maps that show local disparities in stroke death
rates for the five largest racial/ethnic groups in the United States. The maps provide health-care professionals and
concerned persons with county-level maps of stroke mortality that are essential for tailoring stroke-prevention policies and programs to the needs of communities.
High blood pressure and atrial fibrillation are important risk factors for stroke that can be prevented and controlled
in reducing stroke-related deaths and disability. ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø funds health departments in 29 states and the District of Columbia
to develop effective strategies for reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases (e.g., heart disease and stroke) with an emphasis on policy and systems changes. Through these state-based programs, ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø aims to eliminate disparities in treatment,
risk factors, and disease; delay the onset of disease; postpone death from cardiovascular disease; and diminish disabling conditions.
Additional information is available at
. Detailed maps of stroke
and heart disease mortality at state and county levels are available at
. Additional information about
stroke also is available from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at
, the American Stroke Association Division of the American Heart Association at
, the Brain Attack Coalition at
, and the National Stroke Association at
.
References
American Heart Association. Heart and Stroke Statistics---2003 Update. Dallas, Texas: American Heart Association, 2003. Available at
.
Casper ML, Barnett E, Williams I, Halverson J, Braham V, Greenlund K. The Atlas of Stroke Mortality: Racial, Ethnic, and Geographic
Disparities in the United States, 1st ed. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø, February 2003.
Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.References to non-ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø sites on the Internet are
provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply
endorsement of these organizations or their programs by ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø or the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø is not responsible for the content
of pages found at these sites. URL addresses listed in MMWR were current as of
the date of publication.
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