Written by Maties Salom, Fundació Ictus Barcelona
Barcelona, 1st June 2018- The Fundació Ictus, a stroke support organisation from Barcelona, organised today a gathering related to the challenges that stroke presents for all European countries. At this meeting, the Catalan Foundation introduced data on stroke in Catalonia, following the path opened by the Stroke Alliance for Europe with The Burden of Stroke Report, published in 2017. The conference “Catalunya i Europa davant l’ictus” (“Catalonia and Europe in front of the stroke“) was opened by SAFE President, Jon Barrick, and European Stroke Organisation Past President, Valeria Caso. The meeting convened more than 150 people with different professional backgrounds- medics, researchers, stroke survivors and their relatives.
Approximately 13.000 stroke patients get admitted in the Catalan hospitals every year. This condition’s incidence is almost 180 cases for every 100.000 people and mortality is 29,5/100.000. The conference faces issues in domains of research, primary prevention, stroke services organisation, acute stroke management, rehabilitation and life after stroke.
Speakers addressed all of these points in two round tables which helped build a complete overview of the situation with stroke in Europe and outlined a road map for all the countries over the next decade.
The meeting mainly focused on the stroke situation in Catalonia and presented the Catalan point of view of the Stroke Action Plan for Europe 2019-2030, recently presented in the European Parliament by ESO and SAFE. The Member of the European Parliament, Mr Ramon Tremosa, provided the institutional point of view of the discussed issues.
The neurologist from Barcelona, Mr Angel Chamorro, presentated the current state of stroke care in Catalonia, which is very good at the moment, but they are looking at the 2030 targets and striving for excellence.
