Table 1.
Methodological aspects of selected, door-to-door stroke prevalence surveys
| Survey acronym (country) | Study population's residence | Type of sample | Number of individuals studied | Number of cases | Age (Years) | Prevalence year | Percentage collaboration at screening | Screening phase Instrument & Field workers | Diagnostic ascertainment phase | Diagnostic criteria for stroke |
| PRATICON (Spain) | El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona) | Random sample of municipal voters roll | 1,754 | 208 | ≥ 70 | 2002 | 85 | Questionnaire Possible stroke symptoms. Field workers: trained neuropsychologist | Stroke protocol. Neurological examination. Hachinski ischaemic score. Brain imaging. | Ischaemic stroke and TIA separately |
| ZARADEMP (Spain) | Zaragoza municipal area | Random sample of municipal voters roll | 2,850 | 205 | ≥ 55 | 1996 | 83 | Questionnaire Possible stroke symptoms. Field workers: trained medical students | Consensus based on review of study data. | Ischaemic stroke and TIA separately Confirmed and possible |
| BIDASOA (Spain) | Irún, Hondarribia (Guipúzcoa) | Random sample of municipal voters roll | 1,349 | 75 | ≥ 65 | 1996 | 85 | Questionnaire Clinical examination SNES (Sicilian Neuro- Epidemiological Study) Field workers: trained sociology students | Neurological examination. Review of medical records. | Thrombotic ischaemic stroke Embolic ischaemic stroke Parenchymatous haemorrhagic stroke Subarachnoid haemorrhage Unspecified stroke Confirmed/possible |
| PAMPLONA (Spain) | Pamplona (Navarre) | Random sample of municipal voters roll | 1,127 | 80 | ≥ 70 | 1991 | 78 | Questionnaire Clinical examination. Field workers: trained physicians | Consensus based on review of study data. | WHO indications [22] |
| NEDICES (Spain) | Lista (Madrid) Las Margaritas (Getafe, Madrid) Arévalo (Avila) | Random sample of municipal voters roll | 1,010 1,164 1,393 |
47 47 53 |
≥ 65 | 1994 | 78 89 95 |
Questionnaire. Monica Project items. Review of medical records. Field workers: trained physicians | Neurological examination. Review of medical records. | WHO indications [22] |
| KUNGSHOLMEN (Sweden) | Kungsholmen, Stockholm | Census | 984 | 31 | ≥ 75 | 1987 | 77 | No screening phase. | Self-reported diagnosis. Review of medical records. Clinical examination of the whole population. | Consensus based on review of study data. |
| ROTTERDAM (The Netherlands) | Rotterdam district | Sample of general population | 2,347 | 158 | ≥ 55 | 1993 | 78 | Questionnaire. Incidence. Regular reports of automatic GP records. Field workers: not specified | Review of medical records and study data. Diagnosis by neurologist or GP. | Medically diagnosed stroke. Symptoms more than 24 hours |
| ILSA (Italy) | Genoa, Segrate (Milan), Selvazzo- Rubano (Padua), Catania, Impruneta (Florence), Fermo (Ascoli Piceno), Naples and Casamassima (Bari). | Random sample of municipal voters roll | 3,343 | 280 | ≥ 65 | 1992 | 80 | Questionnaire Possible stroke symptoms. Simple neurological examination. Field workers: not specified | Neurological examination. Review of medical records. Consensus diagnosis. | WHO indications [23] Oxfordshire Community stroke project [24] |
| SNES (Italy) | Riposto, Santa Teresa di Riva and Terrasini (Sicily) | All subjects residing in municipalities | 2,094 | 115 | ≥ 65 | 1987 | 92 | Clinical examination SNES (Sicilian Neuro- Epidemiological Study) Field workers: medically trained | Neurological examination. Review of medical records. Consensus diagnosis. | Modified Schoenberg et al criteria [25] |
| Vecchiano (Italy) | Vecchiano, North-west Tuscany | All inhabitants aged 65 years or over | 1,136 | 96 | ≥ 65 | 2001 | 95 | Clinical examination. Field workers: investigator trained in the diagnosis of cerebrovascular diseases | Neurological examination. | Symptom questionnaire with six questions |