General Information About Strokes

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Every year, over 130,000 people in the UK have a stroke. That's one person every five minutes. Most people affected are over 65, but anyone can have a stroke, including children and even babies.

A stroke is the third most common cause of death in the UK. It is also the single most common cause of severe disability. More than 250,000 people live with disabilities causes by stroke.

It could happen to you, or someone you care for. If it does, you'll want to know as much as you can about strokes.

This is where you can find out about strokes - what causes them, the effects that they can have, how they can be prevented and how they are treated. It also tells you how The Stroke Association can help you if stroke affects your life.

I hope this information will prove helpful to you.

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10 things you should know about stroke

1. Every five minutes someone in the UK has a stroke.

2. A stroke is a brain attack. A stroke happens due to a clot or bleed in the brain, which causes brain cells to die.

3. The signs of a stroke are:
• Facial weakness
• Arm or leg weakness
• Speech problems
• A loss to half of the visual field
These signs may only last a few hours (called a Transient Ischaemic Attack – TIA) but must not be ignored.

4. A stroke is an emergency. If you see the signs of a stroke act FAST and call 999. Early treatment saves lives and increases the chance of making a better recovery.

5. Stroke is the third biggest killer and the leading cause of severe disability in the UK.

6. Almost one in four men and one in five women aged 45 can expect to have a stroke if they live to 85.

7. More than three times as many women die from stroke than breast cancer in the UK.

8. Unacceptable inadequacies in stroke care and research exist. For every £50 spent on cancer research and £20 on heart disease research, only £1 is spent on stroke research.

9. Eating healthily, taking more exercise, not smoking and ensuring blood pressure is normal, can all help to prevent stroke.

10. The Stroke Association is the only national charity solely concerned with helping everyone affected by stroke. We are working to create a world where there are fewer strokes and all those touched by stroke get the help they need.