Stroke is the third leading cause of death following diseases of the heart and cancer.1,2 A majority of strokes are classified as ischemic in nature (87 percent), with intracerebral hemorrhagic (10 percent) and subarachnoid hemorrhagic stroke (3 percent) accounting for the rest.2 Every year in the United States, approximately 795,000 people develop a new or recurrent stroke, with 610,000 first attacks and 185,000 recurrent attacks.2
The annual rate of strokes is expected to increase to 1.2 million cases by the year 2025, a troubling trend that underlines the urgency of adequate ischemic stroke treatment.3 Stroke occurs more commonly in females than males, especially at older ages.4 Blacks have a two -fold higher risk of first -ever stroke than Caucasians, with age-adjusted incidences of 6.6 per 1000 in black men as compared with 3.6 per 1000 in Caucasian men.4 In 2006, 43.6 deaths occurred due to stroke per 100,000 people in the Unites States, averaging out to one death due to stroke every 3 to 4 minutes. 2,5 In 2005, the overall mortality rate from stroke was approximately 44.7 per 100,000 for Caucasian males, 70.5 per 100,000 for black males, 44.0 per 100,000 for Caucasian females, and 60.7 per 100,000 for black females.6 Lower mortality rates were seen in Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian populations as compared with Caucasian populations.2
Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in the United States. Thirty percent of stroke survivors require outpatient rehabilitation services7,8 and 15 to 30 percent of patients remain permanently disabled.2 Costs associated with acute stroke were estimated to approach $68.9 billion in 2009, with inpatient hospital costs accounting for 70 percent of the total cost in the first year after stroke.2,9 Significant decreases in health -related quality-of-life are also seen following a stroke.2 Studies have shown that at -risk patients view the consequences of experiencing an ischemic stroke as being worse than death.10 Additionally, evidence has demonstrated the significant impact of ischemic stroke on caregiver burden and quality-of-life in caregivers.11–13
