Stroke burden in North Africa and the Middle East, 1990-2021: an analysis based on the global burden of disease study

Abstract Background and objective This study provides updated estimates of stroke burden, risk factors, and their trends in North Africa and Middle East (NAME) region from 1990 to 2021, which are essential for effective healthcare and resource allocation. Methods Data were obtained from the Global B...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Parisa Fallahtafti, Amirhossein Habibzadeh, Negar Ghasemloo, Amin Ghanbari, Morvarid Taebi, Kaveh Hosseini, Hamidreza Soleimani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-07-01
Series:BMC Neurology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-025-04298-y
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849238500275126272
author Parisa Fallahtafti
Amirhossein Habibzadeh
Negar Ghasemloo
Amin Ghanbari
Morvarid Taebi
Kaveh Hosseini
Hamidreza Soleimani
author_facet Parisa Fallahtafti
Amirhossein Habibzadeh
Negar Ghasemloo
Amin Ghanbari
Morvarid Taebi
Kaveh Hosseini
Hamidreza Soleimani
author_sort Parisa Fallahtafti
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background and objective This study provides updated estimates of stroke burden, risk factors, and their trends in North Africa and Middle East (NAME) region from 1990 to 2021, which are essential for effective healthcare and resource allocation. Methods Data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study, which provides comprehensive epidemiological estimates for stroke across 21 countries in the NAME super region. We calculated age-standardized rates for prevalence, incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) using the GBD standard population. Decomposition analysis was conducted to assess the contributions of population growth, aging, and changes in age-specific incidence rates to the overall stroke burden. Results There was a significant increase in absolute numbers of stroke cases, deaths, and DALYs in the NAME region from 1990 to 2021, with a total of 614,803.8 new stroke cases in 2021, representing a 101.2% increase since 1990. Despite this rise, age-standardized rates for incidence, mortality, and DALYs decreased significantly. High systolic blood pressure, air pollution, and high level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were identified as the leading risk factors contributing to stroke mortality in the region in 2021. Conclusion Stroke remains a pressing public health issue in the NAME region, marked by rising absolute case numbers but declining age-standardized rates. This trend may reflect improvements in stroke awareness, early detection, and medical advancements, though the extent varies across countries. Significant disparities exist, as lower-income nations face greater challenges in prevention, acute care, and rehabilitation compared to higher-income countries with better healthcare infrastructure. Addressing these gaps through targeted policies and resource allocation is crucial to improving stroke outcomes across the region.
format Article
id doaj-art-e872b9e504de4e8cae5401b6cd619cc9
institution Kabale University
issn 1471-2377
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Neurology
spelling doaj-art-e872b9e504de4e8cae5401b6cd619cc92025-08-20T04:01:35ZengBMCBMC Neurology1471-23772025-07-0125111310.1186/s12883-025-04298-yStroke burden in North Africa and the Middle East, 1990-2021: an analysis based on the global burden of disease studyParisa Fallahtafti0Amirhossein Habibzadeh1Negar Ghasemloo2Amin Ghanbari3Morvarid Taebi4Kaveh Hosseini5Hamidreza Soleimani6Eye Research Center, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical SciencesSchool of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical SciencesSchool of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical SciencesSchool of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical SciencesTehran Heart Center, ardiovascular Disease Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical SciencesTehran Heart Center, ardiovascular Disease Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Cardiology, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical SciencesAbstract Background and objective This study provides updated estimates of stroke burden, risk factors, and their trends in North Africa and Middle East (NAME) region from 1990 to 2021, which are essential for effective healthcare and resource allocation. Methods Data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study, which provides comprehensive epidemiological estimates for stroke across 21 countries in the NAME super region. We calculated age-standardized rates for prevalence, incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) using the GBD standard population. Decomposition analysis was conducted to assess the contributions of population growth, aging, and changes in age-specific incidence rates to the overall stroke burden. Results There was a significant increase in absolute numbers of stroke cases, deaths, and DALYs in the NAME region from 1990 to 2021, with a total of 614,803.8 new stroke cases in 2021, representing a 101.2% increase since 1990. Despite this rise, age-standardized rates for incidence, mortality, and DALYs decreased significantly. High systolic blood pressure, air pollution, and high level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were identified as the leading risk factors contributing to stroke mortality in the region in 2021. Conclusion Stroke remains a pressing public health issue in the NAME region, marked by rising absolute case numbers but declining age-standardized rates. This trend may reflect improvements in stroke awareness, early detection, and medical advancements, though the extent varies across countries. Significant disparities exist, as lower-income nations face greater challenges in prevention, acute care, and rehabilitation compared to higher-income countries with better healthcare infrastructure. Addressing these gaps through targeted policies and resource allocation is crucial to improving stroke outcomes across the region.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-025-04298-yGlobal burden of diseaseStrokeAfrica, NorthernMiddle East
spellingShingle Parisa Fallahtafti
Amirhossein Habibzadeh
Negar Ghasemloo
Amin Ghanbari
Morvarid Taebi
Kaveh Hosseini
Hamidreza Soleimani
Stroke burden in North Africa and the Middle East, 1990-2021: an analysis based on the global burden of disease study
BMC Neurology
Global burden of disease
Stroke
Africa, Northern
Middle East
title Stroke burden in North Africa and the Middle East, 1990-2021: an analysis based on the global burden of disease study
title_full Stroke burden in North Africa and the Middle East, 1990-2021: an analysis based on the global burden of disease study
title_fullStr Stroke burden in North Africa and the Middle East, 1990-2021: an analysis based on the global burden of disease study
title_full_unstemmed Stroke burden in North Africa and the Middle East, 1990-2021: an analysis based on the global burden of disease study
title_short Stroke burden in North Africa and the Middle East, 1990-2021: an analysis based on the global burden of disease study
title_sort stroke burden in north africa and the middle east 1990 2021 an analysis based on the global burden of disease study
topic Global burden of disease
Stroke
Africa, Northern
Middle East
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-025-04298-y
work_keys_str_mv AT parisafallahtafti strokeburdeninnorthafricaandthemiddleeast19902021ananalysisbasedontheglobalburdenofdiseasestudy
AT amirhosseinhabibzadeh strokeburdeninnorthafricaandthemiddleeast19902021ananalysisbasedontheglobalburdenofdiseasestudy
AT negarghasemloo strokeburdeninnorthafricaandthemiddleeast19902021ananalysisbasedontheglobalburdenofdiseasestudy
AT aminghanbari strokeburdeninnorthafricaandthemiddleeast19902021ananalysisbasedontheglobalburdenofdiseasestudy
AT morvaridtaebi strokeburdeninnorthafricaandthemiddleeast19902021ananalysisbasedontheglobalburdenofdiseasestudy
AT kavehhosseini strokeburdeninnorthafricaandthemiddleeast19902021ananalysisbasedontheglobalburdenofdiseasestudy
AT hamidrezasoleimani strokeburdeninnorthafricaandthemiddleeast19902021ananalysisbasedontheglobalburdenofdiseasestudy