Disease progression to stroke differed across countries
An observational analysis of 247,863 adults aged 45–100 linked older age to stroke progression, with the strength of those links differing across countries.
Multicentre
An observational study analysed 247,863 adults aged 45–100 from six groups followed over time in China, England, the USA, South Korea, Mexico and Europe. Researchers compared changes between six health states: healthy, high blood pressure alone, diabetes alone, both conditions, stroke and death. Their models examined links with age, sex, education and smoking, and included death as a possible outcome.
Among participants leaving the healthy state, high blood pressure alone was the most common destination in every group, accounting for 42.2–66.9% of those transitions. Older age was associated with progression to stroke from healthy, high blood pressure alone and both conditions. The strength of age associations differed across countries for all major transitions. Smoking was associated with progression to having both high blood pressure and diabetes.
Why it matters
Stroke and related conditions are important targets for prevention in aging populations. The findings support tailoring prevention strategies to local contexts.
Caveats
This observational analysis cannot establish cause and effect. Differences in study design and measurement between the groups could also account for cross-country differences.
The paper
First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan College of TCM (Hunan Province Directly Affiliated TCM Hospital); First People’s Hospital of Zunyi
BMC Public Health, 9 Oct 2026, CC BY-NC-ND
