DEMOGRAPHIC-STUDY OF FIRST-EVER STROKE AND ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION IN OKINAWA, JAPAN

We performed a cross-sectional survey of stroke and acute myocardial i nfarction (AMI) in Okinawa, Japan with a census population of about 1. 2 million, A total of 3,644 cases of first-ever stroke and 898 cases o f initial acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were detected. The age-adj usted annual incidence rate for stroke was 105 per 100,000 standard po pulation of Japan, and that of AMI was 26, The case-fatality rate of s troke within 28 days of onset was 12.8%, and that of AMI was 22.2%,Of the stroke cases, 51.4% were diagnosed as brain infarction, 38.7% as b rain hemorrhage, and 9.3% as subarachnoid hemorrhage. The diagnosis of stroke subtypes were confirmed by computed tomography or magnetic res onance imaging in 98.4% of all stroke cases. In Okinawa, the incidence rate of AMI was still considerably lower than that in the Western pop ulation, and the rate of stroke was similar to that in the Western pop ulation.