Salt Intake and Mortality from Stroke

Abstract

To the Editor: The declining incidence of stroke¹ is a puzzling phenomenon. Garraway et al. found a decrease in Rochester, Minnesota, beginning in 1945, before any effective treatment was available. A similar decrease was observed in Baltimore,² beginning in 1940. In the United States as a whole, a striking decline has been reported since 1925,³ but it has been attributed to classification errors. However, according to our experience over the past 25 years, improved classification in Belgium⁴ and other countries has resulted in an increase of reported stroke mortality and not in a decrease. A possible explanation for this problem . . .