Age-Specific Rural-Urban Disparities in the Incidence of Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands

The incidence of ischemic stroke is higher among persons aged 15-49 years living in rural areas compared with urban areas, which was driven by a risk-increase in patients 15-39 years. This was reversed among persons aged 50 years and older. Our findings were not fully explained by differences in nSES. This suggests that different age-specific predictors might play a role in rural-urban disparities in ischemic stroke incidence.