Stroke Prevalence: an analysis of data from the 1977 National Health Interview Survey.

Data gathered in the 1977 National Health Interview Survey indicate that stroke continues to be a major health problem in the United States. It affects approximately 2 percent of the civilian noninstitutionalized population over age 20. An examination of the stroke population revealed differences in the prevalence rates by various demographic factors, particularly age. More than 70 percent of the stroke victims were limited in their activities, and about 85 percent of all the victims had been informed of their condition by a physician. Only 62 percent indicated that they were hospitalized for their first stroke, and this finding remained unchanged when only recent strokes were examined. The low hospitalization rate may reflect a lack of information on patients who died during the interval of on those who did not associate their hospitalizations with their strokes.