The influence of the war events on the epidemiology of cerebrovascular diseases and strokes among residents of Kyiv, Ukraine

Abstract

In Ukraine, mortality rates from cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) are 10–17 % higher than in Europe. The number of registered cases of strokes is increasing in the world and this tendency is expected to continue in the coming years. One of the factors affecting epidemiological indicators is military conflicts. This mostly applies to low- and middle-income countries due to the complexity of providing medical care. Large studies testify to the negative impact of military actions on the morbidity and mortality from CVD, a change in the structure of strokes due to an increase in the proportion of intracerebral hemorrhages, and an increase in the number of young and middle-aged patients. People who live in war zones have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, even years after the war ends. This is due to an increase in the share of both medical and non-medical risk factors. Considering world tendency, the study of epidemiological indicators regarding the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality of both cardiovascular disease in general and cerebral strokes in particular and the comparison of these data in the pre-war and war periods is relevant not only for Ukraine. The purpose was to provide an epidemiology of CVD and cerebral stroke among the adult population of Kyiv in the prewar and wartime periods.