Worldwide, strokes hit more people, many younger

One of the missions of this blog is to highlight stroke prevention. Every stroke prevented is a win. However, recent numbers show that stroke prevention has actually lost some ground - in the global perspective, at least.

A recent report shows that stroke numbers are up worldwide:

In 2010, there were 16.9 million people who had a first stroke, 33 million stroke survivors, and 5.9 million people who died from a stroke -- increases of 68%, 84%, and 26% respectively since 1990, according to Valery Feigin, MD, of the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, and colleagues. ...

What's more, there was a 25% ... increased incidence of stroke in those ages 20 to 64. At the end of the study period, 31% of first strokes occurred in people younger than 65, up from 25% in 1990. ...

Feigin and colleagues wrote that "these findings suggest that stroke should no longer be regarded as a disease of old age."

Read the entire article for more details. One comment especially touches on good common sense: reduce hypertension and unhealthy lifestyle.