2026 American Academy of Neurology Abstract Website

Objective:

To assess temporal trends in stroke hospitalization and in-hospital mortality rates in Brazilian adults and elderly between 2010 and 2024.

Background:

Stroke remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with 13.7 million cases and 5.5 million deaths annually, mainly among older adults. Although incidence in elderly populations has stabilized or declined in several countries, recent evidence suggests increasing burden among younger adults. Understanding these patterns is essential to guide targeted prevention strategies.

Design/Methods:

We performed a national time-series analysis using administrative data on hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths due to stroke (ICD-10 I64) from the national hospitalization system (SIH-SUS). Annual population estimates were obtained from the national statistics database. Analyses were stratified by adults (20–59 years) and elderly (60–79 years). Age-specific hospitalization rates were calculated per 100,000 population. In-hospital mortality was defined as the number of deaths divided by hospitalizations × 100. Temporal trends were assessed using simple linear regression and annual percent change (APC). All analyses were conducted using Python 3.10.12.

Results:

Between 2010 and 2024, there were 1,808,852 hospitalizations and 248,245 in-hospital deaths due to stroke. Hospitalization rates increased significantly among adults, whereas rates among elderly remained stable. Adults accounted for a growing proportion of total hospitalizations over time. In-hospital mortality declined modestly during the study period across both age groups.

Conclusions:

Stroke hospitalization rates in Brazil show a concerning upward trend among adults, contrasting with stable rates in elderly populations. These findings underscore the need for early prevention strategies targeting younger age groups to address the shifting stroke burden.