The Last Three Decades of Stroke Epidemiology in Novi Sad
At the Collaborating Center of the WHO MONICA project in Novi Sad (Capital of Autonomic Province of Vojvodina, Serbia), the research results of Stroke epidemiology during favorable circumstances in our social community show a decrease of the incidence and mortality from stroke, and indicate that prophylactic measures performed during the first. Ten years were successful at completing of their mission. In the period 1983 – 1992 morbidity and mortality from stroke dropped by about 20%. The main activities dealt with recording the incidence and mortality of stroke and analysis of population samples during intervention program. The results of Stroke epidemiology since 1993 and later show that with the war in the neighboring countries decrease of general life standard of population. Large social, medical and economic sanctions imposed by United Nations, the previous favorable results, this beneficial trend have reversed and rates have increased continually. All results are undergoing the final analyses and tests of hypotheses, and they are published in the most reputable world medical journals. Unfortunately, the main risk factors in population age 20 years and over in the first decade of XXI century in Autonomic Province of Vojvodina are still physical inactivity, hypertension, smoking, overweight, and obesity, the same that were at the beginning of the WHO MONICA program, at the end of XX century in Novi Sad
