According to a recent report from the World Stroke Organization-Lancet Neurology Commission, a new organization formed to forecast the condition’s epidemiological and economic impacts, the number of people who die from stroke globally will jump 50% by 2050 if no significant action is taken to limit the prevalence of stroke and its risk factors.
According to the World Health Organization, stroke ranks as the second most common cause of death globally, accounting for 6.6 million fatalities in 2020. The report projects that number to reach 9.7 million in 2050.
“There are disastrous shortages of stroke services worldwide. The World Stroke Organization’s president, Dr. Sheila Martins, stated in a statement that “we need a drastic improvement today, not in 10 years.”
Taking into account variables like population growth and aging, the researchers qualitatively analyzed the interviews they conducted with 12 stroke experts from six high-income countries and six low- and middle-income countries.
They discovered a few major obstacles to excellent monitoring, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. A lack of knowledge about stroke and its risk factors, which include diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, poor diet, and smoking, is one of them.
According to the report, 91% of these anticipated stroke deaths will take place in low- and middle-income nations.
But according to Dr. Mayowa Owolabi, co-chair of the commission and professor at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, those who live in poverty in wealthy nations like the US are also more vulnerable.
“Inequalities exist even in high-income countries,” he stated. “Inequitable exposure to certain risk factors that are either poorly controlled or not treated.”
A rise in strokes has a financial as well as physical cost to the world’s population.
According to Dr. Valery Feigin of Auckland University of Technology, a co-chair of the commission, “stroke exerts an enormous toll on the world’s population, leading to the death and permanent disability of millions of people each year and costing billions of dollars.”
According to the research, the expense of caring for and treating stroke victims might increase twofold by 2050, from $891 billion to $2.3 trillion. They stated that Asia and Africa will be the primary affected regions.
Lack of funding is one of the most frequent issues with putting stroke prevention and care recommendations into practice. Feigin stated in a statement, “Our commission recommends introducing legislative regulations and taxes of unhealthy products (such as salt, alcohol, sugary drinks, and trans-fats) by every government in the world.
According to Martins, the advent of telemedicine has the potential to be revolutionary.
“A major issue is that sometimes [countries] have the infrastructure and the drugs, but they lack the medical professionals to provide care,” the speaker stated. “This has the potential to greatly improve specialists’ access to treatments.”
The researchers who produced the new report came up with 12 evidence-based suggestions, such as setting up affordable surveillance systems, increasing public awareness, and establishing efficient acute stroke care, to aid in the global prevention of strokes.
One of the major risk factors for death and disability worldwide is hypertension, according to a report released by the World Health Organization last month. Another major risk factor for stroke is high blood pressure.
According to experts, maintaining a healthy diet and weight, abstaining from alcohol and tobacco, and engaging in regular exercise are the best ways to prevent both hypertension and stroke.
According to the Mayo Clinic, sudden, intense headaches, problems seeing in one or both eyes, difficulty walking, paralysis or numbness in the face or limbs, and difficulty speaking or understanding others are common signs of strokes.
Hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes are the two primary forms. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that the majority are ischemic, which occurs when blood flow to a portion of the brain is obstructed by clots or particles like fatty deposits called plaque.
Hemorrhagic strokes are caused by leaks or ruptures in brain blood vessels.
Short-term blood blockages lasting only a few minutes are referred to as mini-strokes or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). These episodes remain a medical emergency and may indicate a stroke in the future.
