Overall long-term survival rates after stroke are improving, but black people experience worse long-term outcomes compared with white people, in line with a University of Cincinnati study published online July 15 within the journal Neurology.^®the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

UC’s Dr. David Robinson, corresponding creator of the study, said previous studies have examined short-term stroke outcomes of 30 or 60 days, but this time the team checked out survival rates five years after a stroke.

“This was the primary attempt to take a look at a for much longer period of follow-up after stroke, because lots of the interventions we have give you have more long-term impact than short-term impact. We have never been capable of show that stroke outcomes were definitely improved over longer periods of time.”

David Robinson, MD, researcher and assistant professor on the Gardner Neurological Institute on the University of California, Gardner, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine on the University of California, Gardner School of Medicine

The researchers used data from the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Stroke Study, which has tracked stroke epidemiology in a five-county region of the Cincinnati metropolitan area since 1993. Robinson found that the realm is a microcosm of the USA, reflecting similar notions of race, education and socioeconomic status to the country as a complete.

Amongst patients with acute ischemic stroke, essentially the most common variety of stroke, five-year mortality after stroke improved from 53% in 1993-94 to 48.3% in 2015, a decline of virtually twice what could be expected in the overall population. There was no change in five-year survival for patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, essentially the most severe variety of stroke.

“That is the primary time we’ve seen a transparent improvement in five-year mortality after stroke, and that’s likely at the least partly resulting from the stroke care systems which have been established here in Cincinnati,” Robinson said. “The info suggest that we have now specific stroke care interventions that disproportionately improve mortality on this particular group of individuals.”

While the general numbers are improving, black people were found to be 20% more more likely to die inside five years of an ischemic stroke than white people. Previous studies have confirmed that strokes are more common in black people, but this study is the primary to point out that long-term outcomes are worse for black patients.

Robinson said there isn’t a single cause for the general improvement in mortality, but a mix of recent treatments and the establishment of a more comprehensive stroke care system have contributed. Similarly, a variety of long-term social, economic and environmental inequalities likely contribute to the poorer outcomes for black patients.

Robinson said these data clearly display that continued follow-up and monitoring of stroke patients is critical to further improving long-term survival, especially amongst black patients.

“This includes ensuring they’re taking the precise medications to minimise their risk of getting one other stroke; ensuring they’re taking medications that we all know help, including cholesterol-lowering medications; and keeping their blood pressure under control,” he said.

As well as, more stroke survivors likely mean more people living with stroke-related disabilities, underscoring the necessity for ongoing and improved rehabilitation akin to the UCLA Stroke Recovery Clinic.

“If we would like to assist people survive longer, we’re going to need to develop higher treatments to assist them with their disabilities, and that’s a serious focus of our rehabilitation group, which I believe is essential,” Robinson said. “I don’t think you’ll be able to have a look at this data and never be concerned about what number of persons are going to survive and wish help getting them back to as functional as possible.”