The availability of population-based epidemiological data on the incident risk of stroke is very scarce in Argentina and other Latin American countries. In response to the priorities established by the World Health Organization and the United Nations, PREVISTA was envisaged as a population-based program to determine the risk of first-ever and recurrent stroke and transient ischemic attack incidence and mortality in Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The study will be conducted according to Standardized Tools for Stroke Surveillance (STEPS Stroke) methodology and will enroll all new (incident) and recurrent consecutive cases of stroke and transient ischemic attack in the City of Tandil between May 1st, 2013 and April 30, 2015. The study will include patients with ischemic stroke, non-traumatic primary intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and transient ischemic attack. To ensure the inclusion of every cerebrovascular event during an observation period of two years, we will instrument an 'intensive screening program', consisting of a comprehensive daily tracking of every potential event of stroke or transient ischemic attack using multiple overlapping sources. Mortality would be determined during follow-up for every enrolled patient. Also, fatal community events would be screened daily through revision of death certificates at funeral homes and local offices of vital statistics. All causes of death will be adjudicated by an ad-hoc committee. The close population of Tandil is representative of a large proportion of Latin-American countries with low- and middle-income economies. The findings and conclusions of PREVISTA may provide data that could support future health policy decision-making in the region.

No abstract

Working Papers contain preliminary research, analysis, findings, and recommendations. They are circulated to stimulate timely discussion and critical feedback, and to influence ongoing debate on emerging issues.

SUMMARYA descriptive work i made, showing the demographic characteristics and causes of hospitalitation at the Instituto de Ciencias Neurológicas (ICN), Lima-Perú during 1992. From the revision of the monthly statitics of the Institute´s Statitics Office we had 1783 hospital discharges from wich 48% were females and 52% males, 66% conformed what we call "economicaly active population", with a median age of 38 years. One third of the patients came from the "CONO NORTE", the northern districts of Lima, and the others from the majority of districts of Peru. We found a similarity in the discharge diagnosis between the neurologic service of the National "Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen" (HNGAI) and our ICN, thus the most frequent diagnosis were stroke, epilepsy, cephalialgi, and cisticercosis at both centers. A trend to greater hospitalary permanence in common in both HNGAI and ICN, with 15 días to the former and 26 to the latter, as compared with 9 days to the national median of the IPSS and 14 to the general median of the national Hospital Cayetano Heredia (HNCH). Also we found an intrahospital mortality higher than international values, being 49 pr 1000 at the HNGAI and 48 per 1000 at the ICN. It is notably a diference regarding the type of stroke between HNGAI an the ICN, being 81% of the strokes ischemics, 13% haemorragies and 6% subaracnoid haemorrage at the former, similar to the most international reports; and 70% ischemic and 30% haemorragics at the latter not considering the subaracnoid haemorrage. The explanation for this differences between population with and without assurance, and the characteristics of this frequent diseases are the goals of new intrahospital and population based studies. (Rev Med Hered 1994; 5: 80-85

.