Stroke case fatality in sub-Saharan Africa: Systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: International journal of stroke p. 1747493021990945
• Main Authors: Adoukonou, Thierry, Kossi, Oyéné, Fotso Mefo, Pervenche, Agbétou, Mendinatou, Magne, Julien, Gbaguidi, Glwadys, Houinato, Dismand, Preux, Pierre-Marie, Lacroix, Philippe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.2021
• Subjects: Stroke; sub-Saharan Africa; one month; systematic review; case fatality
• ISSN: 1747-4949
• DOI: 10.1177/1747493021990945

The burden of stroke is high in sub-Saharan Africa; however, few data are available on long-term mortality. To estimate over one-month stroke case fatality in sub-Saharan Africa. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed according to meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PROSPERO protocol: CRD42020192439), on five electronic databases (PubMed, Science direct, AJOL, EMBASE, and Web of Sciences). We searched all studies on stroke case fatality over one month in sub-Saharan Africa published between 1st January 2000 and 31st December 2019. We included 91 studies with a total of 34,362 stroke cases. The one-month pooled stroke case-fatality rate was 24.1% [95% CI: 21.5-27.0] and 33.2% [95% CI: 23.6-44.5] at one year. At three and five years, the case-fatality rates were respectively 40.1% [95% CI: 20.8-63.0] and 39.4% [95% CI: 14.3-71.5] with high heterogeneity. Hemorrhagic stroke was associated with a higher risk of mortality at one month, but ischemic stroke increased the risk of mortality over six months. Diabetes was associated with poor prognosis at 6 and 12 months with odds ratios of 1.64 [95% CI: 1.22-2.20] and 1.85 [1.25-2.75], respectively. The stroke case fatality over one month was very high, compared to case fatalities reported in Western countries and can be explained by a weak healthcare systems and vascular risk factors.