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Stroke carries a high risk of death. Survivors can experience loss of vision and/or speech, paralysis, and confusion. Historically called apoplexy, stroke is so called because of the way it strikes people down. Previous stroke significantly increases risk of further episodes. Certain racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups are also at greater risk of stroke. The most important modifiable cause of stroke is high blood pressure; for every ten people who die of stroke, four could have been saved if their blood pressure had been regulated. Among those aged under 65, two-fifths of deaths from stroke are linked to smoking. Other modifiable risk factors include unhealthy diet, high salt intake, underlying heart disease, diabetes and high blood lipids. The risk of death depends on the type of stroke. Transient ischaemic attack or TIA where symptoms resolve in less than 24 hours has the best outcome, followed by stroke caused by carotid stenosis (narrowing of the artery in the neck that supplies blood to the brain). Blockage of an artery is more dangerous, with rupture of a cerebral blood vessel the most dangerous of all. Even where advanced technology and facilities are available, 60% of those who suffer a stroke die or become dependent. Given these dismal statistics and the high cost of treatment of stroke, high priority should be accorded to preventive strategies.

Deaths from stroke

Struck down
ICELAND
FINLAND SWEDEN NORWAY ESTONIA UNITED KINGDOM DENMARK IRELAND NETH. BELGIUM LUX. FRA NCE SWITZ. GERMANY POLAND CZECH UKRAINE REPUBLIC SLOVAKIA AUSTRIA SLOVENIA CROATIA HUNGARY ROMANIA BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA BELARUS LATVIA LITHUANIA RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Number of deaths from stroke 2002 200 000 and above 100 000199 999 10 00099 999 10009999 below 1000 no data

Top 3 highest number of deaths from stroke

REP. MOLDOVA

SERBIA & MONTENEGRO BULGARIA

C A N A D A

ANDORRA PORTUGAL SPAIN

MONACO

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

517 424

ITALY

ALBANIA FYR MACEDONIA GREECE

Stroke is the second leading cause of death above the age of 60 years, and the fifth leading cause in people aged 15 to 59 years old.
U S A

A, e US In th dies of one ry some oke eve . r s t s t a nu e e mi e r h t

KAZAKHSTAN
MALTA

MONGOLIA
DPR KOREA REP. KOREA

GEORGIA ARMENIA TURKEY CYPRUS LEBANON ISRAEL SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC

UZBEKISTAN AZERBAIJAN TURKMENISTAN

KYRGYZSTAN TAJIKISTAN

JAPAN

1 652 885
C H I N A

MOROCCO

TUNISIA

IRAQ
JORDAN BAHRAIN QATAR

ISL . RE P. IRA N
KUWAIT

AFGHANISTAN
MARSHALL ISLANDS

BAHAMAS

PAKISTAN
UAE

ALGERIA

MEXICO

CUBA JAMAICA BELIZE DOMINICAN REP. HAITI ST KITTS & NEVIS

LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA

NEPAL

BHUTAN
KIRIBATI GUAM NAURU TUVALU

EGYPT SAUDI ARABIA

INDIA

BANGLADESH MYANMAR LAO PDR THAILAND PHILIPPINES CAMBODIA SRI LANKA BRUNEI DAR. MALAYSIA SINGAPORE VIET NAM
VANUATU

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA DOMINICA ST LUCIA BARBADOS TRINIDAD & TOBAGO CAPE VERDE

MAURITANIA SENEGAL GAMBIA

GUATEMALA

HONDURAS

MALI NIGER
BURKINA FASO

OMAN

FIJI

EL SALVADOR NICARAGUA COSTA RICA

ST VINCENT & GRENADINES GRENADA PANAMA

CHAD

ERITREA

YEMEN DJIBOUTI

771 067

COOK SAMOA ISLANDS NIUE TONGA

SUDAN

GHANA TOGO BENIN

VENEZUELA COLOMBIA

GUINEA-BISSAU GUINEA SIERRA LEONE LIBERIA

NIGERIA ETHIOPIA
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC UGANDA KENYA SOMALIA MALDIVES
PALAU

GUYANA SURINAME

CTE DIVOIRE

EQUATORIAL CAMEROON GUINEA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE GABON CONGO

ECUADOR

MICRONESIA, FED. STATES OF

de, ldwi Wor n women llio on 3 mi .5 milli 2 and die from r. men very yea ee strok

DEM. REP. CONGO

RWANDA BURUNDI UNITED REP. TANZANIA

SEYCHELLES

PERU

I N D O N E S I A
COMOROS TIMOR-LESTE

BRAZIL
ANGOLA
ZAMBIA

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

SOLOMON ISLANDS

MALAWI

MADAGASCAR
MAURITIUS

BOLIVIA
NAMIBIA

ZIMBABWE BOTSWANA

CHILE

PARAGUAY

MOZAMBIQUE

10% stroke 5.5 million

AUSTRALIA

SWAZILAND

SOUTH AFRICA
URUGUAY

LESOTHO

ARGENTINA

420%

Predictors of death from stroke in Italy

Percentage increased risk of death from stroke in people aged 65 years and above 2001 140% 84% 83% 60% 38%

Stroke third is the common most of dea cause devel th in countroped ies, exceed ed onl corona y by r diseasy heart e cancer and .

Stroke compared with other causes of death

Percentages and numbers of deaths worldwide from stroke and other leading causes 2002 2% malaria 1.2 million 3% tuberculosis 1.6 million 3% diarrhoeal diseases 1.8 million 4% perinatal causes 2.5 million

27% other causes 15.6 million

13% coronary heart disease 7.2 million

NEW

Total deaths 57 million

ZEALAND

12% cancer 7.1 million

52

previous atrial high impaired cigarette coronary stroke fibrillation blood glucose smoking heart pressure tolerance disease (systolic >163 mmHg)

5% HIV/AIDS 2.8 million 5% chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 2.7 million

7% respiratory infections 3.7 million

9% injuries 5.2 million

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