Temporal, geographical and demographic trends of stroke prevalence in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

China has made large efforts to reduce stroke prevalence. We aimed to systematically examine the prevalence of stroke in China over the past two decades. Databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, VIP, and PubMed, were systematically searched for studies published in English or Chinese that reported stroke prevalence in China during 2000-2017. Meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled stroke prevalence and the variations in stroke prevalence subgroups stratified by age, gender, time period, and region. In total, 96 papers met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis showed that the overall estimated national prevalence was 5.1% (5.0-5.3%) with large variations across regions: 3.1% (2.5-3.6%) in south China, 3.4% (3.0-3.8%) in southwest China, 3.6% (3.3-3.8%) in east China, 5.0% (4.7-5.4%) in central China, 5.8% (4.6-7.1%) in northwest China, 6.0% (5.0-7.0%) in northeast China, and 8.0% (7.4-8.5%) in north China. Men had a higher prevalence than women [7.3% (6.9-7.7%) . 5.6% (5.2-6.0%)]. Stroke prevalence increased with age, was 1.2% (1.0-1.3%), 2.9% (2.6-3.2%), 5.9% (5.2-6.5%), and 8.7% (8.0-9.5%) in the 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and ≥70 years old groups, respectively. Men, people being older, or living in northern China had higher stroke prevalence. More vigorous efforts are needed in China to prevent stroke.