A couple of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania identified parts of the country where stroke mortality rates are highest. The map, presented at the American Academy of Neurology meeting, found that there can be significant variation from one county to the next and even within one county, according to a statement from the university.
Although the Southeast tends to have the most stroke deaths, the map found that the area typically known as the “stroke belt” is farther west than other studies have shown.
Hot spots on the map were identified as counties where the mortality rate from a stroke was as much as 40 percent higher than the national average and 1.5 times higher than mortality of patients in “cool spots” where the mortality rates were much lower. Catherine Wolff and Dr. Michael Mullen also found that cool spots where there was low stroke mortality sometimes appeared within hot spots. The goal is to identify areas that would benefit from increased access to better stroke care.
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One of the biggest challenges is that therapies found to be effective in treating stroke need to be used within a narrow 3-hour window, so patients need to go to the hospital, get tested, get diagnosed and then receive the drug within that amount of time. Although states like North Carolina have identified stroke centers that are equipped to do these assessments rapidly, patients may have to travel a great distance to reach them. Telestroke hub and spoke models of care are growing as one way to respond to these challenges that’s cost-effective and could improve outcomes.
About 800,000 people have a stroke each year and the average number of deaths tops 130,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
