Hawai'i exceeds U.S. average for stroke prevalence, at 2.8%
By Greg Wiles
Advertiser Staff Writer
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The prevalence of stroke is slightly higher in Hawai'i than the national average, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.
The CDC said 2.8 percent of Hawai'i residents who are at least 18 years old have reported having a stroke. That compared with a 2.6 percent national average.
The report is the first by the CDC to track the prevalence of stroke on a state-by-state basis and was based on a random 2005 telephone survey. Among other findings, it determined that people who have less than a dozen years of education are more than twice as likely to report having a stroke.
The highest stroke prevalence was in Mississippi (4.3 percent) while the lowest was in Connecticut (1.6 percent). The Southeast U.S. had the highest stroke prevalence and deaths.
In Hawai'i, strokes are the third leading cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer. Strokes occur when blood vessels carrying blood to the brain become blocked or when a blood vessel breaks in the brain.
About 680 people died from strokes in Hawai'i in 2005, according to state Department of Health data. A recent state report also found:
The report also found the average Hawai'i stroke victim spent 7.7 days in the hospital and rang up a bill of more than $32,000.
Stroke risks include high blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, lack of exercise, diabetes and obesity.
Reach Greg Wiles at gwiles@honoluluadvertiser.com.
