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Stroke facts and figures

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  • Worldwide 1 in 4 people will have a stroke in their lifetime 1
  • Approximately 1.1 million strokes occur in Europe each year 2
  • 460,000 people die of stroke in Europe per year 3
  • Stroke is the second most common cause of death in the European Union (EU) and a leading cause of adult disability 4
  • Almost 10 million people are living with the impact of stroke in Europe 5
  • More than 80 percent of strokes can be prevented 6
  • 7 million disability-adjusted life years lost due to stroke 7
  • Stroke accounts for the greatest nervous systems DALYs in 2021 8
  • Up to 50% of stroke survivors will suffer long term disability 9

The “At What Cost – the Economic Impact of Stroke in Europe” report shows that the total cost (health care, social care, informal care and productivity losses) of stroke care was €60 billion in 2017. Future costs of stroke care in Europe could increase to €86 billion in 2040 if we fail to invest in stroke prevention, treatments and rehabilitation. https://www.safestroke.eu/economic-impact-of-stroke/

References:

  1. GBD 2016 Lifetime Risk of Stroke Collaborators, Feigin VL et al. Global, Regional, and Country-Specific Lifetime Risks of Stroke, 1990 and 2016. N Engl J Med. 2018; 379(25):2429-2437. 
  2. Feigin, V. L., et al. (2020). “Global, regional, and national burden of stroke and its risk factors, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019,” The Lancet Neurology, 19(10), 819–836. 
  3. Hatem A Wafa et al. Burden of Stroke in Europe: Thirty-Year Projections of Incidence, Prevalence, Deaths, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years, Stroke; 2020 ug;51(8):2418-2427. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.029606. Epub 2020 Jul 10 
  4. Burden of Stroke in Europe, Thirty-Year Projections of Incidence, Prevalence, Deaths, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years, Hatem A. Wafa et al Stroke. 2020;51:2418–2427 https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.029606
  5. Hatem A Wafa et al. Burden of Stroke in Europe: Thirty-Year Projections of Incidence, Prevalence, Deaths, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years, Stroke; 2020 Aug;51(8):2418-2427. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.029606. Epub 2020 Jul 10
  6. O’Donnell M et al. Global and regional effects of potentially modifiable risk factors associated with acute stroke in 32 countries (INTERSTROKE): a casecontrol study. Lancet 2016; 388: 761–775. 
  7. Wafa, H. A., Wolfe, C. D. A., Emmett, E., Roth, G. A., Johnson, C. O., & Wang, Y. (2020). Burden of Stroke in Europe: Thirty-Year Projections of Incidence, Prevalence, Deaths, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years. Stroke, 51(8), 2418–2427. https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.029606 
  8. Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet Neurology 2024. 23 (4) 344-381 
  9. Donkor E. S. (2018). Stroke in the 21st Century: A Snapshot of the Burden, Epidemiology, and Quality of Life. Stroke research and treatment, 2018, 3238165. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3238165