After years of decline, South sees rise in stroke deaths

Even though the South is also know as the Stroke Belt, we've seen a decline in stroke deaths - until now. In the most recent numbers, stroke deaths are rising in the South:

In its monthly Vital Signs report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that stroke deaths are on the rise in the South in recent years after decades of decline, and rates are stagnant in other states. While stroke deaths have declined more than 76 percent since 1968 among adults 35 and older, and 38 percent since 2000, that decline has roughly leveled off or even increased in most states since 2013, according to the report. That includes an overall 4 percent increase in the South, with a 3 percent increase in Georgia and a whopping 10.8 percent increase in Florida.

“This is an important wake-up call,” said Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, director of the CDC and a former Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health. It is particularly alarming among those ages 35-64, which made up a third of the more than 32,000 “excess stroke deaths,” those who died from stroke who might not have had the death rates continued their decline.

“This is alarming and we are working hard to find out what led to the change,” Fitzgerald said. But what is causing the increase or stagnation is not entirely clear, officials with the CDC said. They point to increasing rates of obesity, diabetes and pre-diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic conditions.

“For example, more than one-third of adults are now obese and one-third have high blood pressure,” Fitzgerald said. “These are very disturbing trends.”

Very disturbing trends indeed. As the CDC director noted, this is a wake-up call. And most strokes are preventable. Click here to read more about for previous postings about stroke prevention.