GIS-based assessment of geographic distribution pattern of stroke in Tabriz

Abstract

A stroke is the sudden death of some brain cells due to a lack of oxygen when the blood flow to the brain is lost due to blockage or rupture of a brain artery. Stroke is a clinically defined syndrome of acute focal neurological deficit attributed to vascular damage (infarction, hemorrhage) of the central nervous system. Differences in the occurrence of disease, in terms of time, place and person, show potentials for prevention. Stroke incidence and stroke-related mortality show significant geographic differences among countries. To assess the feasibility of prevention strategies, studies are needed to assess the extent of the disease pattern by the prevalence of known risk factors. Studies related to geographic patterns of stroke incidence include methodological problems such as retrieving non-hospitalized cases and case validation and standardized conditions are important prerequisites for scientific validity. Materials and methods: This study was conducted in Tabriz, the capital of East Azarbaijan province, which is located in the northwest of Iran. The information of stroke patients was extracted from the stroke registry between 2013 and 2014. The address, specifications and data needed to check the severity of stroke were made by phone calls to the patients and completing the Modified Ranking Score (mRS) questionnaire and confirming the collected data. Patients who lived in Tabriz at the time of stroke and cooperated to complete the data required for the study were included in the study. All analyzes were analyzed using Arc GIS and Stata 15 software. Results: A total of 2963 stroke patients were included in the final analysis. The annual incidence rate of stroke in Tabriz city was 7/13/100000 (95% confidence interval: 5.52 to 8.74) for the years 2017-2022. The average age was 71.13 ± 14.74 years (range: 109-16 years) and 1586 (53.5%) were men. The median mRS score in stroke cases was 1 with an interquartile range of 6. Using geographic information system (GIS) mapping. The highest incidence of stroke was observed in a cluster in the central part of Tabriz city, especially in the borders of sections 2-3, 1-10 and 2-4.