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Knowing
stroke facts can aid in prevention
Dec.
27, 2002
Knight
Ridder Newspapers
Facts
about strokes:
* Stroke is the nation’s third-leading cause of death,
behind heart disease and cancer.
* Every 53 seconds, on average, someone in the United
States suffers a stroke.
* Every 3.1 minutes, someone dies of a stroke.
* Among stroke victims, 28 percent are younger than
65.
* After age 55, the likelihood and incidence of stroke
more than doubles each successive decade.
* Stroke is more common in men than in women, until
age 80 and older, when it more frequently affects women.
* Of the 4 million stroke survivors, 90 percent have
permanent disability.
* About one-third of all stroke survivors will have
another stroke in five years.
* A transient ischemic attack, or TIA, is a mini-stroke
lasting less than 24 hours, and causing no brain damage.
Sources:
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; National Stroke
Association; American Heart Association
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