The Sub-Saharan Africa Conference on Stroke (SSACS): An idea whose time has come

JOURNAL OF THE NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES

卷:400

Review

Owolabi, Mayowa^1,2  Sarfo, Fred Stephen³  Akinyemi, Rufus^1,2  Gebreyohanns, Mehari⁴  Ovbiagele, Bruce⁵ 

[1] Univ Ibadan, Dept Med, Ibadan, Nigeria

[2] Univ Ibadan, Coll Med, Ctr Genom & Precis Med, Ibadan, Nigeria

[3] Kwame Nkrumah Univ Sci & Technol, Kumasi, Ghana

[4] UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX USA

[5] Univ Calif San Francisco, Dept Neurol, San Francisco, CA USA

关键词: Stroke;    Africans;    Sub-Saharan Africa;    Conference;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jns.2019.03.026

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Stroke is a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where an unprecedented rise in stroke burden is currently raging, has the highest age-standardized stroke incidence, stroke prevalence, and stroke mortality rates. This is in sharp contrast to the relative decline in stroke incidence in high-income countries over the past four decades through better awareness and control of vascular risk factors. Compared to other groups, Africans tend to have a higher risk of stroke, higher percentage of the hemorrhagic type and much poorer outcomes. Indeed, stroke levies a heavy toll on the developing SSA economy by affecting a relatively younger age group. In this commentary, we examine the disproportionately high burden of stroke in the setting of grossly inadequate resources and evidence-based interventions. We propose an annual pan-regional stroke conference (starting in 2020) to harness global resources and local talent with the goal of galvanizing action to tackle this escalating burden. We anticipate that a successful conference series could become a rallying point for the eventual establishment of an African Stroke Organization.

【 授权许可】

Free