Stroke Facts

What is Stroke?

A stroke or "brain attack" occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body) or a blood vessel (a tube through which the blood moves through the body) breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain.  When either of these things happen, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs.

When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. These abilities include speech, movement and memory. How a stroke patient is affected depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged.

Signs and Symptoms

Up to 80% of stroke victims have no symptoms or warning signs...they never see it coming!

1. Weakness - Sudden loss of strength or sudden numbness in the face, arm or leg, even if temporary.
2. Trouble speaking - Sudden difficulty speaking or understanding or sudden confusion, even if temporary.
3. Vision problems - Sudden trouble with vision, even if temporary.
4. Headache - Sudden severe and unusual headache.
5. Dizziness - Sudden loss of balance, especially with any of the above signs.

Facts

• Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the US & Canada and is a leading cause of adult disability.
• Stroke is the #1 cause for nursing home admissions.
• Six percent of all deaths in the US & Canada are due to stroke.
• Each year, more than 137,000 Americans and 14,000 Canadians die from stroke.
• Each year, more women than men die from stroke.

Prevalence

• 795,000 strokes occur in the US and 50,000 in Canada each year.
• The majority of strokes occur in people 65 years of age and older however, about 25% of strokes occur in people under the age of 65.
• In the US, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds. In Canada, someone suffers a stroke every 10 minutes.
• About 6,400,000 Americans and 300,000 Canadians are living with the effects of stroke. 
• After age 55, the risk of stroke doubles every 10 years. 
• A stroke survivor has a 20% chance of having another stroke within 2 years.

Effects

Of every 100 people who have a stroke:

• 15 die (15%)
• 10 recover completely (10%)
• 25 recover with a minor impairment or disability (25%)
• 40 are left with a moderate to severe impairment (40%)
• 10 are so severely disabled they require long-term care (10%)

Costs

• Stroke costs the US economy $73.7 billion and the Canadian economy $2.7 billion a year in direct and indirect costs.