Facts About Strokes

Stroke is the result of a blockage of blood flow to the brain or bleeding in the brain. Each year, about 600,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke. Here are more facts about strokes in the U.S.:

* It’s the third-leading cause of death, after heart disease and cancer.

* In 1996, strokes killed 159,942 people: 97,467 females and 62,475 males.

* On average, someone suffers a stroke every 53 seconds; someone dies of one every 3.3 minutes.

* Strokes aren’t a death sentence; about 4.4 million stroke survivors are alive today.

* For people older than 55, the incidence of stroke more than doubles in each successive decade.

* The elderly aren’t the only ones hurt by strokes. The long-running Framingham Heart Study shows that 28% of all people who have strokes in a given year are younger than 65.

* Strokes are a leading cause of long-term disability.

For more information, call the American Heart Assn., (800) AHA-USA1 or check its Web site, https://www.heart source.org.

Source: American Heart Assn.