Gender difference of geographic distribution of the stroke incidence affected by socioeconomic, clinical and urban-rural factors: an ecological study based on data from the Brest stroke registry in France.

Mapping the spatial distribution of disease occurrence is a strategy to identify contextual factors that could be useful for public health policies. The purpose of this ecological study was to examine to which extent the socioeconomic deprivation and the urbanization level can explain gender difference of geographic distribution in stroke incidence in Pays de Brest, France between 2008 and 2013.