Scottish stroke statistics
Year ending 31 March 2021

About this release

This release by Public Health Scotland provides an annual update on cerebrovascular disease in Scotland, including stroke, brain haemorrhage and 'mini-stroke'. This publication includes information on hospital activity, operations, incidence, 30-day survival following first emergency admission, GP prescribing, mortality and ambulance service activity.

Main points

• The incidence rate for cerebrovascular disease decreased over the last decade by 9%. Incidence rates were consistently 29% higher in males than females.
• There were 3,932 deaths in Scotland in 2020 where cerebrovascular disease, including stroke, was the underlying cause. In the last decade, the death rate for cerebrovascular disease decreased by 27%.

Trends in mortality rates for cerebrevascular disease over the last ten years

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Cerebrovascular disease – age and sex adjusted death rates per 100,000 population, Scotland, 2011 to 2020

• The death rate for cerebrovascular disease in the most deprived areas was 43% higher than in the least deprived areas in 2020, which is consistent with the previous five years.
• The percentage of people surviving 30 days or more following their first emergency admission to hospital with a stroke has been consistently between 83% to 86% over the past ten years.
• The number of patients receiving prescriptions for drugs to treat diseases of the circulation increased by 9.5% in the last ten years. Despite this increase, the cost of prescriptions dispensed for these drugs has fallen by 3.5% over the last ten years to £147.6 million in 2020/21, reflecting falls in drug prices for these conditions.

Background

Cerebrovascular disease develops as a result of problems with the blood vessels supplying oxygen rich blood to the brain. Scotland has a high prevalence of the risk factors associated with cerebrovascular disease such as smoking and high blood pressure. Despite a substantial decrease in rates of death over the last decade, treating and preventing stroke is a national clinical priority for Scotland as outlined in the Stroke Improvement Plan (external website).

Further information

Public Health Scotland publishes a range of heart disease-related information. You can find all our information on the stroke section of the Data and Intelligence website. More information is also available from the Scottish Stroke Care Audit (external website). Further information can be found in the Stroke Statistics report.

Corresponding information on heart disease can be found on the heart disease section of the Data and Intelligence website.

The next release of this publication will be in January 2023.