Stroke Mortality Among Black and White Adults Aged ≥35 Years Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, 2015-2021.

Publisher: U.S. Centers for Disease Control Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 7802429 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1545-861X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01492195 NLM ISO Abbreviation: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Atlanta, GA : U.S. Centers for Disease Control
Original Publication: [Atlanta] U. S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Center for Disease Control.

Black or African American*/statistics & numerical data ; COVID-19*/epidemiology ; Stroke*/diagnosis ; Stroke*/ethnology ; Stroke*/etiology ; Stroke*/mortality ; White*/statistics & numerical data ; Health Status Disparities*; Adult ; Humans ; Pandemics/statistics & numerical data ; United States/epidemiology

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States (1). Although stroke death rates have declined since the 1950s, age-adjusted rates remained higher among non-Hispanic Black or African American (Black) adults than among non-Hispanic White (White) adults (1,2). Despite intervention efforts to reduce racial disparities in stroke prevention and treatment through reducing stroke risk factors, increasing awareness of stroke symptoms, and improving access to treatment and care for stroke (1,3), Black adults were 45% more likely than were White adults to die from stroke in 2018.* In 2019, age-adjusted stroke death rates (AASDRs) (stroke deaths per 100,000 population) were 101.6 among Black adults and 69.1 among White adults aged ≥35 years. Stroke deaths increased during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-August 2020), and minority populations experienced a disproportionate increase (4). The current study examined disparities in stroke mortality between Black and White adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysts used National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) mortality data accessed via CDC WONDER ^† to calculate AASDRs among Black and White adults aged ≥35 years prepandemic (2015-2019) and during the pandemic (2020-2021). Compared with that during the prepandemic period, the absolute difference in AASDR between Black and White adults during the pandemic was 21.7% higher (31.3 per 100,000 versus 38.0). During the pandemic period, an estimated 3,835 excess stroke deaths occurred among Black adults (9.4% more than expected) and 15,125 among White adults (6.9% more than expected). These findings underscore the importance of identifying the major factors contributing to the widened disparities; implementing prevention efforts, including the management and control of hypertension, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes; and developing tailored interventions to reduce disparities and advance health equity in stroke mortality between Black and White adults. Stroke is a serious medical condition that requires emergency care. Warning signs of a stroke include sudden face drooping, arm weakness, and speech difficulty. Immediate notification of Emergency Medical Services by calling 9-1-1 is critical upon recognition of stroke signs and symptoms.
Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

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Date Created: 20230420 Date Completed: 20230424 Latest Revision: 20230424

20240514

PMC10121266

10.15585/mmwr.mm7216a4

37079483