The impact of regional deprivation on stroke incidence, treatment, and mortality in Germany

Background: Regional deprivation has been shown to be an influential factor in stroke incidence risk. However, there is a paucity of knowledge on regional differences in stroke incidence and mortality in Germany.

Methods: We assessed data from the Diagnosis Related Groups statistics (2016-2019) and the German Federal Registry of Physicians (2019). Negative binomial regression analysis was used to examine the association between the German Index of Multiple Deprivation 2015 covering 401 districts and district-free cities in Germany and stroke incidence, treatment, and mortality.

Results: The adjusted rate ratios of stroke incidence and mortality with the highest deprivation level compared with the least deprived area were 1.161 (95% CI [1.143, 1.179]) and 1.193 (95% CI [1.148, 1.239]), respectively. Moreover, this study revealed that physician density was higher in district-free cities compared to districts.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that regional deprivation is associated with incident and mortality cases of stroke, necessitating a more targeted approach to stroke prevention in deprived regions.