Data

Stroke is the 5^th Leading Cause of Death in Virginia (2022).

How does VDH epidemiology define Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke?

Cerebrovascular diseases are disorders in which an area of the brain is temporarily or permanently affected by a lack of blood flow or bleeding from one or more blood vessels in the brain.  Stroke is a type of cerebrovascular disease.

Stroke includes two main categories:

1. Ischemic Strokes are blockages of blood vessels.

2. Hemorrhagic Strokes are due to ruptured blood vessels.

Stroke death rates per 100,000 population have increased from 37.4 in 2017 to 41.2 in 2022.

The below graph displays trends in Age-Adjusted Death Rates from Cerebrovascular Disease in Virginia, 2017-2022. The disease specifications are defined by the following ICD-10 discharge codes: Cerebrovascular - I60-I69, Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH) - I60-I62, and Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS) - I63-I69.

Data Source: Vital Event Statistics Program, Office of Information Management, Virginia Department of Health.

Table. Virginia Stroke Priority Localities by Mortality Age-Adjusted Rates per 100,000 Population Comparing 2014-2018 and 2016-2020 Aggregate Data.

Region	Locality	Local Health Department	Stroke Mortality 2014-2018	Stroke Mortality 2016-2020
Central	Greensville County	Crater	64.76	63.43
	Brunswick County	Southside	59.44	59.53
	Nottoway County	Piedmont	59.13	53.97
	Petersburg City	Crater	58.65	65.10
	Surry County	Crater	57.96	39.08
	Mecklenburg County	Southside	56.97	60.28
	Hopewell City	Crater	49.93	44.49
Eastern	Franklin City	Western Tidewater	93.2	96.93
	Portsmouth City	Portsmouth	52.67	47.68
	Lancaster County	Three Rivers	52.66	58.78
	Norfolk City	Norfolk	50.01	53.09
	Hampton City	Hampton	47.33	42.89
	Accomack County	Eastern Shore	45.56	51.32
	Mathews County	Three Rivers	44.48	35.87
Northern	Manassas City	Prince William	49.75	46.00
	Fairfax City	Fairfax	41.11	49.95
Northwest	Highland County	Central Shenandoah	60.66	37.51
	Lexington City	Central Shenandoah	60	54.99
	Buena Vista City	Central Shenandoah	53.67	44.49
	Harrisonburg City	Central Shenandoah	48.99	47.57
	Staunton City	Central Shenandoah	48.17	41.44
	Warren County	Lord Fairfax	44.16	47.87
	King William County	Rappahannock	44.14	51.49
	Caroline County	Rappahannock	42.46	39.53
Southwest	Martinsville City	West Piedmont	84.64	94.42
	Covington City	Alleghany	74.77	64.23
	Galax City	Mount Rogers	70.09	82.64
	Radford City	New River	67.57	62.29
	Lynchburg City	Central Virginia	61.13	64.97
	Appomattox County	Central Virginia	59.56	58.82
	Danville City	Pittsylvania-Danville	54.72	52.85
	Salem City	Alleghany	51.26	51.97
	Amherst County	Central Virginia	50.55	47.20

Notes: The Counties and Cities (Localities) listed were identified as priority localities based on stroke mortality rates from 2014-2018 aggregate data by the Virginia Stroke Care Quality Improvement Advisory Group. Localities were categorized by Virginia Health Planning Region and then sorted by Age-Adjusted Mortality Rate per 100,000 population. The top quartile of each region was then selected to indicate priority localities. (Virginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records).  

Additional Stroke Data Resources

• Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics from the American Heart Association The American Heart Association works with government agencies to derive our annual statistics for cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.
• Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke CDC’s Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke is an online mapping tool that allows users to create and customize county-level maps of heart disease and stroke by race and ethnicity, gender, age group, and more.
• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) The BRFSS, the world’s largest telephone survey, tracks health risks in the United States. Information from the survey is used to improve the health of the American people.
• Stroke Burden Report Progress report on the burden of stroke and stroke-related events in Virginia. (Updated 2017)
• VDH Office of EMS - EMS & Trauma Data Visit VDH Office of EMS DATAWISE Team's page for EMS and trauma data.