Public health and aging: hospitalizations for stroke among adults aged >/=65 years--United States, 2000.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a major cause of serious, long-term disability among adults; the projected cost of stroke during 2003 is $51 billion, including $12 billion in nursing home costs. During 1988-1997, the rate of hospital admissions for stroke increased 18.6%, from approximately 560 per 100,000 population in 1988 to 664 in 1997. To assess the burden of stroke hospitalizations and discharge status after hospitalization among U.S. residents aged >/=65 years, CDC analyzed Medicare hospital claims for persons with stroke during 2000 for the 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC). This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicate that geographic variation exists in both rates of hospitalization for stroke and patient discharge status. Reducing the burden of stroke in the United States will require primary prevention and control of risk factors, public education, early evaluation and treatment of persons with acute stroke, and effective secondary prevention among persons living with stroke.