Excessive incidence of stroke in Iran: evidence from the Mashhad Stroke Incidence Study (MSIS), a population-based study of stroke in the Middle East.

Background And Purpose: The epidemiology of stroke and its subtypes in the Middle East is unclear. Most previous studies have been performed in Western countries, and incidence rates are unlikely to apply in the Middle East. We aimed to determine the incidence of stroke in Mashhad, northeastern Iran.