That's what researchers have just calculated globally and the results were shocking. On average one in four people will have a stroke sometime in their lives. If you live in Eastern Europe it can be as high as one in three people.
The global lifetime risk of stroke is approximately 25% starting at the age of 25 years among both men and women, and there is large geographic variation, with a particularly high lifetime risk of stroke in East Asia, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe.
Stroke statistics
Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes. About 185,000 strokes—nearly 1 in 4—are in people who have had a previous stroke. About 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes, in which blood flow to the brain is blocked.
The majority of strokes occur in people who are 65 or older. As many as 10% of people in the U.S. who experience a stroke are younger than 45. How do the symptoms of stroke in young people differ from those in the older age group?
Study participants who reported the highest stress levels were 33% more likely to have a stroke than those who felt less anxious or stressed. The greater the anxiety level, the higher the stroke risk, but even modest increases raised stroke risk.
High blood pressure.
It's the biggest cause of strokes.
The number of stroke events includes new and recurrent strokes. In 2020, there were an estimated 39,500 stroke events in Australia—more than 100 every day. The rate of stroke events was 154 per 100,000 population.
Stress can cause the heart to work harder, increase blood pressure, and increase sugar and fat levels in the blood. These things, in turn, can increase the risk of clots forming and travelling to the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke.
A 2021 study found that about 66% of stroke victims survived past the three-year mark. 7 Survival factors included: The person's age. Their overall health.
1 in 4 of us will have a stroke in our lifetime. Knowing more about prevention and symptoms of stroke could save millions of lives, including yours. Stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Without blood, brain cells can be damaged or die.
On average, between 10 and 15 years after stroke, 25% of survivors were moderately-severely disabled, 21% were inactive, 22% had cognitive impairments, 32% were anxious and 38% depressed. Functional, cognitive and psychological outcomes between 10 and 15 years after stroke.
Age — People age 55 or older have a higher risk of stroke than do younger people. Race or ethnicity — African Americans and Hispanics have a higher risk of stroke than do people of other races or ethnicities. Sex — Men have a higher risk of stroke than do women.
“But anyone, even people who are relatively young and healthy, could potentially have a stroke.” While you can't do much about risk factors related to your age, gender or family history, there are four important things you can do to lower your risk of stroke — and improve your overall health: Stop smoking.
Almost 800,000 people have a stroke each year, more than 140,000 die and many survivors face disability. This is disturbing because about 80% of strokes are preventable. High blood pressure is the single most important treatable risk factor for stroke.
Some people will experience symptoms such as headache, numbness or tingling several days before they have a serious stroke. One study found that 43% of stroke patients experienced mini-stroke symptoms up to a week before they had a major stroke.
Many stroke risk factors are lifestyle related, so everyone has the power to reduce their risk of having a stroke. More than 80% of strokes can be prevented. You can take action to lower your risk of stroke.
Drink a lot of water: You should drink at least five glasses of water per day, and this will reduce your risk of stroke by 53%, according to a recent study by Loma Linda University.
Stroke risk factors, such as high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes, are becoming more common in younger and middle-aged people.
Lifestyle factors
The way we live has a big impact on our risk of stroke. Things such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, being overweight and eating unhealthy foods can damage your blood vessels, increase your blood pressure and make your blood more likely to clot. It's never too late to make a change.
Foods high in potassium, such as sweet and white potatoes, bananas, tomatoes, prunes, melon and soybeans, can help you maintain a healthy blood pressure — the leading risk factor of stroke. Magnesium-rich foods, such as spinach, are also linked to a lower risk of stroke.
Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke.