Incidence of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage among Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in New Mexico

Objective: To compare the incidence of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) among Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites living in Bernalillo County, NM. Background: There are differences in cerebrovascular disease incidence between racial and ethnic groups. Knowing these differences is likely to optimize stroke prevention and evaluation. Methods: Medical records review of all possible cases of ICH occurring between January 1, 1993 and December 31, 1993 among residents of Bernalillo County, NM, in all local hospitals. Hospital records were identified by ICD-9-CM codes. Also, State Medical Examiner records review for additional ICH cases occurring during the same time interval. The 1990 U.S. census provided the population base. Results: There were 47 spontaneous ICHs among 267,965 non-Hispanic whites and 39 spontaneous ICHs among 178,310 Hispanics. Incidence of ICH rises exponentially with age in both groups. The age- and sex-adjusted total annual incidence of ICH per 100,000 people is 16.6 among non-Hispanic whites and 34.9 among Hispanics (relative risk for Hispanics 2.10, 95% confidence interval 1.35 to 3.26, p = 0.001). The age-adjusted incidence rates among men and women are not significantly different in either ethnic group. Conclusion: The incidence of spontaneous ICH among Hispanic residents of Bernalillo County, NM, is approximately twice that among non-Hispanic whites. The reasons for this difference require further investigation.