About stroke.

Facts about STROKE:

·         Stroke by itself is the second most common cause of death in the EU:
accounting for just under 490,000 deaths in the EU each year (2003)

·         Around one in ten men (9%) and one in eight women (13%) die from the disease.
Of these, 90% are caused by a blood clot occluding a brain vessel and 10% due to ruptured vessels.
 

·         The annual incidence is approximately 2 per 1000 inhabitants in the EU, but this incidence increases exponentially with age
(e.g. 10 per 1000 65-74 year old males, 20 per 1000 75-84 year old males, etc.).
Due to the ageing population in the EU the number of incidents is therefore increasing dramatically, and the incidence is believed to double over the next 50 years.

·         Roughly 75% of the victims survive the stroke, and half of these lose the ability to live independently in their own homes.

·         Expenses in EU estimated to total 34 billion Euros annually (2003: www.heartstats.org)