JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

China has initiated a national stroke program since 2011. Understanding the magnitude of stroke burden in China is crucial for modulating related policies.

Objective:

We analyzed stroke status in China from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study.

Methods:

The GBD 2021 was the source of estimation of stroke burden. We extracted the data from the Global Health Data Exchange database. The number of deaths, incidence, prevalence, Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Years Lived with Disability (YLDs) and Years of Life Lost (YLLs) attributable to stroke and its subtypes from 2012 to 2021 were analyzed. Sex and age specific characteristics were also compared.

Results:

The incidence of stroke in China was 4.09 [3.59, 4.70] million in 2021, with an increase of 1.14 million from 2012, which aligns with the trend of age-standardized incidence rate. Stroke-caused deaths increased from 2.20 [2.00, 2.41] million in 2012 to 2.59 [2.18, 3.03] million in 2021, though the age-standardized death rate decrease obviously. Ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage attributable deaths accounted for 0.41, 0.56 and 0.03 in 2012, and 0.46, 0.51 and 0.03, respectively. The number of prevalence, DALYs, YLDs and YLLs had an apparent increase for ischemic stroke, and a slight increase for intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage. The overall burden of men was still larger in comparison with women. People aged 50 or over years had an increased stroke burden.

Conclusions:

From 2012 to 2021, stroke burden in China increased, primarily driven by a rise in ischemic stroke cases. Although age-standardized death rates fell, the absolute number of deaths, incidence, and prevalence grew. The burden remained higher in men and shifted toward older adults (≥50 years). These trends underscore the need for targeted prevention and control strategies.