What is a Stroke
Before we go into the stroke stats UK, let’s first look at the two main types of stroke
– Ischaemic strokes which are caused by a blocked blood vessel cutting off the blood supply to the brain which often leads to damage to brain cells.
– Haemorrhagic strokes which are caused when a blood vessel bursts within or on the surface of the brain. This kind of stroke is usually more severe and has a higher mortality rate.
85% of all strokes are ischaemic, 15% are haemorragic.
– Mini strokes, also known as transient ichaemic attacks (TIAs) are the same as strokes except the symptoms last for under 24 hours. There is a risk of a full blown risk following a TIA, where 8.3% could have a stroke within a week of having suffered a TIA.
Stroke Stats UK – from the UK Stroke Association
According to the UK Stroke Association, here are some sobering stats regarding strokes:
- There are over 100,000 strokes every year in the UK (roughly one stroke every 5′)
- There are over 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK
- Every two seconds, someone suffers a stroke somewhere in the world
- Stroke is the fourth single leading cause of death in the UK
- There are over 400 strokes occurring in children in the UK.
- Black people are twice as likely to have a stroke compared to white people
- Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the UK – almost 2/3 survivors leave the hospital with a disability
- Stroke survivors are at greatest risk of having another stroke in the first 30 days following a stroke.
- 5% stroke patients suffer a second stroke while still hospitalized.
- Although the average age of stroke has decreased in recent years, it is more common to have a stroke after the age of 55.
- Over 40,000 people died of stroke in the UK in 2015 (one every 13 minutes).
For more information
Download Here the State of the Nation Stroke statistics – January 2017 pdf created by the UK Stroke Association.
