The incidence of stroke was investigated in a large Finnish prospective population study. The study population consisted of 11,984 men and 11,682 women aged 15 years and over drawn from four geographical regions of the country. In a mean follow-up time of six years, 174 men and 169 women suffered a fatal or non-fatal stroke. The age-adjusted mean annual incidence of stroke in men, 4.0/1000, was statistically significantly higher than the annual incidence in women, 3.3/1000. In twelve percent of the cases stroke was caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage and in ten percent by cerebral hemorrhage. In 30 percent of the cases, cerebral infarction was ascertained as the cause of the stroke; while in 49 percent of the cases, the type of stroke could not be specified with certainty. The incidence of stroke was significantly higher in non-attendants than in attendants at the initial survey. The incidence of cerebral infarction appeared to be higher in men from eastern Finland than in men from southwestern Finland.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of stroke in Finland.

The prevalence of stroke was investigated in a Finnish population study. The results were based on cross-sectional data from a follow-up examination of a prospective study conducted in 1973-1976. The study population drawn from four regions of the country comprised 11,103 men and 11,096 women aged 20 years and over. The age-adjusted prevalence of stroke was 10.3/1000 in men and 5.8/1000 in women. The prevalence was significantly higher in non-attendants at the examination than in attendants. In 15 per cent of the prevalence cases the stroke was caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage, in six per cent by cerebral hemorrhage and in the remainder by cerebral infarction or the type could not be specified. Over half (57 per cent) of the survivors of stroke had no or only slight disability; eight per cent were totally disabled. Some form of organic heart disease and hypertension was significantly more common in the prevalence cases than in the others.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The epidemiology of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in Finland and in northern Europe.

The incidence and prevalence of IDDM are high by international standards in all Nordic countries, and Finland has the highest incidence and prevalence figures of the disease in the world. During the period 1970-1980, the mean annual incidence (per 100,000) in 0-14-yr-old children was 28.6 in Finland, 22.7 in Sweden, 17.6 in Norway, and 14.0 in Denmark. The corresponding prevalence figures were: Finland 191, Sweden 148, Iceland 141, Norway 120, and Denmark 83. Thus, on a countrywide basis the incidence increased from south to north (and from west to east). However, within some of the Nordic countries (Finland, Norway, and Sweden) there were regional variations not compatible with the above "latitude rule." As in many studies from other countries, the following characteristics were observed in the IDDM epidemiology in children and adolescents: a steady rise of incidence throughout childhood until puberty, the peak occurring earlier in girls than in boys, a male excess in young children and adolescents, a seasonal variation, and a secular trend. The possible causes of the high incidence and prevalence are briefly discussed.

Adolescent↗