Does Stroke Affect Many Australians?

Stroke is the third most common cause of death in Australia

About 40,000 Australians have strokes annually, 73% of these being first-ever strokes.

Of 100 stroke patients:

• about 30 die in the first year after their stroke, most (15-20) within the first 30 days
• about 70 survive* of whom
• 35 remain permanently disabled at 1 year after a stroke, 10 of whom require care in a nursing home or other long term facility
• 35 are not disabled to the point of affecting their independence in activities of daily living 10 will have recovered completely and 25 with non-disabling impairments.

           *85% with ischaemic stroke survive, 50% with haemorrhagic

A GP with a list of 200 patients will:

• see at least one new acute stroke patient every three months
• be caring for at least 16 survivors of stroke.

Of all the neurological disorders stroke is the largest single cause of adult disability.

For a 45 year old, the risk of having a stroke by age 85 is:

• one in four for men
• one in five for women

The risk of having a stroke may increase for:

• People with a family history of stroke
• Some ethnic groups (such as African Americans and Hispanics)

The most common cause of stroke is high blood pressure.

A middle-aged man who has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smokes and has uncontrolled diabetes increases his risk of stroke by TWENTY times.

Reviewed by Dr Alastair Corbett, Consultant Neurologist, Concord Hospital, Australia.

Date created: 10 September 2003