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Stroke Fact Sheet

The Leading Cause of Disability in the United States

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and primary cause of long-term disability in the United States.

A stroke, or "brain attack," occurs when a brain artery ruptures or becomes blocked, cutting off vital supplies of blood and oxygen. Brain cells deprived of oxygen can die within minutes, resulting in a loss of physical and mental functions, such as speech, sight, sense of touch and thought processing. Damage often is permanent, as the body does not replace brain cells.

It is imperative that patients seek immediate medical treatment at the first sign of stroke by calling 911. Time is brain; for every minute the brain is deprived of oxygen, approximately 1.9 million brain cells die.¹

• Stroke Statistics ^2,3

  • Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States behind cardiovascular disease and cancers, causing more than 150,000 deaths each year.
  • Each year, approximately 700,000 people in the United States — or one person every 45 seconds — experience a new or recurrent stroke.
  • On average, every 3 to 4 minutes someone dies from stroke.
  • Of those who survive a stroke, 13 percent of men and 22 percent of women aged 40 to 69 will have another stroke within five years. These figures increase to 23 percent of men and 28 percent of women for those aged 70 and older.
  • From 1994 to 2004, the death rate from stroke declined 20.4 percent and the actual number of stroke deaths declined 6.7 percent.
  • The 2004 overall death rate for stroke was 50.0. Death rates were 48.1 for white males and 73.9 for black males; and 47.4 for white females and 64.9 for black females.
  • Stroke is the primary cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. In 1999, more than 1.1 million American adults reported difficulty with functional limitations, activities of daily living, etc., resulting from stroke.
  • In 2007, it is estimated $62.7 billion will be spent on stroke-related medical costs and disability in the United States.
  • The average lifetime cost of ischemic stroke in the United States is approximately $140,000, which includes inpatient care, rehabilitation and care relating to lasting deficits.

• Symptoms of Stroke ⁴

  • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
  • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
  • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
  • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
  • Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

• Risk Factors ^2,5

  There are many risk factors for stroke. Some treatable or controllable risk factors include high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity and heavy alcohol use. Although strokes occur in all age groups, in both sexes and in all races, some groups are at greater risks, particularly:

  • People Over 55: The incidence of stroke for people over age 55 more than doubles in each successive decade. Although stroke is common in the elderly, many people under 65 also suffer from strokes.
  • Women: Each year, approximately 46,000 more women than men have a stroke. Women accounted for 61.0 percent of stroke deaths in 2004. At older ages, women have a higher risk of stroke than men. Overall, women have a higher lifetime mortality rate.
  • Men: At younger ages, men have a higher risk of stroke than women.
  • Male/female incidence is:
    • 1.25 in those 55-64 years of age
    • 1.50 in those 65-74 years of age
    • 1.07 in those 75-84 years of age
    • 0.76 in those 85 and older.
  • Race: The risk for a first stroke is almost twice as high for African Americans than for Caucasians. The risk of stroke for Hispanics also is increased.
    • The age-adjusted incidence of first ischemic stroke per 100,000 was 88 in Caucasians, 191 in African Americans and 149 in Hispanics.
  • A prior stroke, TIA or family history of stroke increases the risk of having a stroke.

Types of Stroke ^2,6

Ischemic

• Ischemic strokes account for 87 percent of all strokes. An ischemic stroke occurs when obstruction, like a blood clot, blocks blood flow to the brain. There are two types of obstruction:
  • Cerebral thrombosis, a blood clot (thrombus) forms in an blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain
  • Cerebral embolism, a piece of a blood clot that has formed at another location in the circulatory system, breaks off and is carried through the bloodstream to the brain, then becoming lodged in a blood vessel too small to let it pass.

Hemorrhagic

• Hemorrhagic strokes account for the remainder (13 percent) of all strokes. There are two types:
  • Subarachnoid hemorrhage, a blood vessel on the surface of the brain ruptures, causing bleeding into the space between the brain and skull
  • Intracerebral hemorrhage, an artery in the brain ruptures, causing bleeding into the surrounding brain tissue.

• References

  ¹ Saver J. Time is Brain-Quantified. Stroke 2006;37:263-266.

  ² Heart and Disease Statistics, American Heart Association, 2007 update.

  ³ Impact of Stroke, American Stroke Association
  (http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/AboutStroke/Impact-of-Stroke_UCM_310728_Article.jsp).

  ⁴ Learn to recognize a stroke
  (http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/WarningSigns/Warning-Signs_UCM_308528_SubHomePage.jsp).

  ⁵ Sources: Stroke Risk Factors, American Heart Association
  (http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/General/Stroke-Are-You-at-Risk-Our-guide-to-stroke-risk-factors_UCM_310561_Article.jsp).

  ⁶ What are the types of stroke? American Stroke Association
  (http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/AboutStroke/TypesofStroke/Types-of-Stroke_UCM_308531_SubHomePage.jsp).