The Epidemiology of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in the United States from 1979 to 2008

Background Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) causes 15 % of strokes annually in the United States. Methods Using the National Hospital Discharge Survey, we studied the disposition and mortality trends of ICH admissions from 1979 to 2008. Cases were identified using the International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical-Modification code 431. Results There was an annualized increase in the admission rate of ICH from about an average of 24,000 cases (12.9 per 100,000 persons per year) during the first epoch to 40,600 cases (17.0 per 100,000 persons per year) during the second epoch. Thereafter, the annual admission rate after ICH remained stable with about 63,000 cases (21 per 100,000 persons per year) during the last epoch. Nonwhites experienced higher growth rates than whites, and the risk of ICH was higher across all age subgroups, in men than women, and nonwhites compared with whites. In-hospital mortality after ICH fell significantly from 45 % (95 % CI , 31–59 %) during the first epoch (1979–1983) to 34 % (95 % CI , 20–38 %) during the second epoch (1984–1988) ( p = 0.03) but did not change significantly after that. Groups with higher in-hospital mortality were whites, women, and persons older than 65 years, black women younger than 45 years, and middle-aged black men. Average days of care for ICH hospitalizations decreased significantly. Conclusion Though the ICH admission rate increased and the in-hospital mortality decreased during the first epochs of the study, these have not significantly changed over the last two decades. ICH remains the most severe form of stroke with limited options to improve survival. More research targeting novel therapies to improve outcomes after ICH is desperately needed.