Backgrounder
Facts On Stroke

  • Download the latest version of the Stroke Recovery Canada Brochure, How to Prevent the Next Stroke
    Fall 2007.
    English Version (605 KB file PDF)

  • Stroke is the No. 1 cause of adult disability in Canada and the third leading cause of death.

  • Stroke can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or socio-economic status. Approximately 300,000 Canadians are living with the effects of stroke.

  • A stroke is a brain attack. It occurs when a blood clot interrupts blood flow to the brain, or when a blood vessel ruptures. Cells in and around the stroke site become damaged and begin to die. Part of the brain stops working as a result.

  • Fifty thousand Canadians suffer from a stroke every year - one person every 10 minutes - and the incidence is increasing with Canada's aging population.

  • One in five people who survive a stroke are at risk of another stroke or a heart attack within two years.

  • After age 55, the risk of stroke doubles every 10 years.

  • Fewer than 50 per cent of stroke survivors return to work, leaving families with caregiving responsibilities and the additional burden of lost income.

  • In adults, stroke is associated with risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure.

Source: Canadian Stroke Network

 


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