Stroke Belt

Stroke Belt or Stroke Alley is a name given to a region in the southeastern United States that has been recognized by public health authorities for having an unusually high incidence of stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease. It is typically defined as an 11-state region consisting of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Although many possible causes for the high stroke incidence have been investigated, the reasons for the phenomenon have not been determined.

The stroke belt is typically defined to include the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. In 1980 these eleven states had age-adjusted stroke mortality rates more than 10% above the national average.

Some investigators also consider North Florida to be a part of the stroke belt, based on a stroke mortality rate higher than several states included in the region.East Texas also is characterized as a stroke belt.

The stroke belt was first identified in 1962 by Centers for Disease Control (CDC) researchers who noted a concentration of high stroke death rates in the Atlantic coastal plain counties of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Similar high stroke rates were later observed in the Mississippi Delta region as well.

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