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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> The authors looked at state-by-state statistics for adults aged 18 and older.
Stroke prevalence ranged from a low of 1.5 percent in Connecticut to a high of 4.3 percent in Mississippi.
Almost one quarter of states, as well as the District of Columbia, had a stroke prevalence rate of 3 percent or above. Those states were Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
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The lowest levels of stroke prevalence -- less than 2.6 percent -- were in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
The national prevalence was 2.6 percent, which mirrors previous findings, the study authors said.
"Our findings correspond with a lot that is already known in the literature, but the amount of variation and magnitude of variation between states and ethnic/racial groups is always noteworthy," Neyer said.
While the prevalence of stroke was similar among men (2.7 percent) and women (2.5 percent), there were great differences among racial and ethnic groups. American Indian/Alaska Natives had the highest rate (6 percent). Blacks had almost double the rate of whites, 4 percent vs. 2.3 percent, respectively. Asians had the lowest rate at 1.6 percent.
Stroke prevalence was almost twice as high in people with less than 12 years of education (4.4 percent) compared to college graduates (1.8 percent).
No one knows for sure why these disparities exist. But a likely explanation is that the higher rates are seen among groups of people with more risk factors.
The second study found delays in getting proper treatment to stroke victims. Only 48 percent of stroke patients arrived at an emergency department within two hours of the onset of symptoms. People who were transported by ambulance tended to get to a hospital within the two-hour window compared with those who didn't go by ambulance -- 56.8 percent vs. 36.2 percent, respectively.
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