More than 83,000 people below 20 years are affected by stroke each year globally. Stroke — a condition traditionally associated with old age — is increasingly affecting young and middle aged people, according to a major new analysis from the Global and Regional Burden of Stroke in the 1990-2010 study, published in The Lancet. The analysis also found that stroke-induced deaths in India had spiraled from 1.3 lakh in 1990 to 2.63 lakh in 2010. Years lost due to disability and death among Indians has increased from 25 lakh to 43 lakh in a decade.
Worldwide, there has been a startling 25% increase in the number of stroke cases among people aged between 20 and 64 years over the last 20 years. Strokes in this age group now make up 31% of the total number of strokes, compared to 25% before 1990. The overall amount of disability and illness and premature death caused by stroke is projected to be more than double worldwide by 2030.
Overall, in 2010, an estimated 16·9 million cases of incident stroke took place worldwide (69% in low-income and middle-income countries), 33 million prevalent stroke cases (52% in low-income and middle-income countries), 5·9 million stroke deaths (71% in low-income and middle-income countries), and 102·2 million DALYs (years lost because of death and disability) lost (78% in low-income and middle-income countries).
The findings come from the first comprehensive and comparable analysis of the regional and country-specific burden of stroke between 1990 and 2010.
A second major study published in The Lancet Global Health shows that in 2010, three-fifth (61.5%) of the disability and more than half (51.7%) of the lives lost to stroke were the result of haemorrhagic strokes — the deadliest form, mainly caused by high blood pressure and unhealthy lifestyles — despite being half as common as ischaemic strokes. Most affected are people younger than 75 years and those living in low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC) where incidence of haemorrhagic stroke has risen by around 19%.
Led by Professor Valery Feigin, director of National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences at AUT University in New Zealand, a team of international researchers found that while the average age of people with stroke has slightly increased, most of the burden of stroke (overall illness and death) has shifted from people older than 75 years to those below that age group. This group accounts for 62% of new strokes, 45% of deaths, and 72% of illness and disability.
The research also found that while the rate of people who die from stroke has declined worldwide over the last 20 years, the actual numbers of stroke related deaths increased to 5.9 million (26% increase).
Numbers of people having a first stroke increased significantly to 16.9 million in 2010 (up by 68%), stroke survivors to 33 million (84% increase), and associated disability and illness to 102.2 million (up by 12%). If present trends continue, stroke deaths, survivors, and disability and illness will more than double by 2030 (to 12 million, 70 million, and 200 million, respectively).
In high-income countries there has been a decline in incidence of stroke and premature death. However, in low-income countries stroke claims more lives (42% higher mortality) and is associated with more disability and illness (46% greater) than in high-income countries. Researchers say that this is in part because of a rise in the prevalence of risk factors involving unhealthy diet, high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity, and smoking in these countries.
According to Professor Feigin, “The worldwide stroke burden is growing very fast and there is now an urgent need for culturally acceptable and affordable stroke prevention, management and rehabilitation strategies to be developed and implemented worldwide.”
source: https://goo.gl/4HrHlx - TOI