[Incidence of cerebrovascular disease in Spain: a study in a rural area of Girona].

In Spain in recent years several studies have been carried out into the incidence of acute stroke among the population at large. The average figure for incidence in these studies was 227 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, ranging from a low of 163 to a high of 323 cases. In the study made among the rural population of Girona the incidence rate was 257 cases per 100,000 inhabitants which was reduced to 134 cases when adjustment was made with world population. The overall incidence rate for stroke was 193 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, with that for first stroke being 174 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The incidence of Transient Ischaemic Attacks (TIA) was 64 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Acute stroke incidence was greater in men (364 per 100,000) than in women (149 per 100,000). The fatality rate for acute stroke in the first month was 38 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Significant risk factors in acute stroke were alcohol abuse, hypertension, valvulopathy, earlier episodes of stroke and TIA and emboligenous source of cardiac origin.