Background:

Stroke is the second cause of death and the first cause of disability in Europe. The number of stroke patients shows a rapidly increasing due to the increase in the elderly population. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the prevalence and incidence of stroke in Europe.

Method:

We conducted a literature search in MEDLINE, SCOPUS, CINAHL Complete and EMBASE, using the keywords “stroke”, “cerebrovascular accident”, “epidemiology”, “prevalence”, “incidence” and “Europe”. In order to evaluate the quality and risk of bias, we used the Hoy's modified scale for prevalence studies and the Newcastle Ottawa Scale for incidence studies. A random effects model with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) was used for the meta-analysis. The I2 statistic was applied to assess heterogeneity.

Results:

The prevalence of stroke in Europe adjusted for sex was estimated at 9.2% (95%CI: 4.4-14.0). The prevalence was 9.1% (95%CI: 4.7-13.6) in men and 9.2% (95%CI: 4.1-14.4) in women, and increased with age. The incidence of stroke in Europe adjusted for sex was 191.9 per 100,000 person-years (95%CI: 156.4-227.3); it was 195.7 per 100,000 person-years (95%CI: 142.4-249.0) in men and 188.1 per 100,000 person-years (95%CI: 138.6-237.7) in women. Again, these rates increased with age.

Conclusion:

The prevalence of stroke in Europe is 9.2%. The incidence of stroke in Europe is 191.9 per 100000 person-years. The prevalence of stroke has increased, whereas the incidence of stroke is stable in comparison with studies conducted at the beginning of the 21st century.