Is there a sex or race difference in stroke mortality?

OBJECTIVES

We sought to confirm previous studies for the presence and direction of sex and race difference in stroke mortality.

METHODS

Administrative data for 40,450 Medicare beneficiaries who were hospitalized in 1994 to 1996 with acute stroke were used in regression analyses to study sex and race differences in 1-year all-cause mortality among patients with different types of stroke and cause-specific mortality in patients with all types of stroke combined. Hazard ratios were adjusted for age, sex or race, state, year of index stroke, past stroke, subsequent stroke, and fatal coexisting conditions excluding cerebrovascular diseases.

RESULTS

Men with ischemic cerebral infarction, nonspecific stroke, or all types of stroke combined were at 21% to 35% higher risk of all-cause mortality than women, but there was no sex difference among patients with subarachnoid or intracerebral hemorrhage. Nonwhite patients with ischemic cerebral infarction had 11% higher all-cause mortality than white patients, but there were no race differences after adjustments for fatal coexisting conditions. Compared with women, mortality was higher in men with all types of stroke regardless of the cause of death. There was higher risk of death caused by cerebrovascular diseases in white patients with all types of stroke combined, but the risk of death caused by cardiovascular diseases other than ischemic heart disease was higher in nonwhite patients.

CONCLUSIONS

There was no sex or race difference in all-cause mortality in patients with hemorrhagic stroke and higher risk in men with ischemic and nonspecific stroke. Relatively higher risk of mortality caused by cerebrovascular diseases was found in men and white patients.