FACTS

1. Stroke is a leading cause of death for Americans, but the risk of having a stroke varies with race and ethnicity.
2. Know the warning signs and symptoms of stroke so that you can act fast if you or someone you know might be having a stroke. The chances of survival are greater when emergency treatment begins quickly.
3. A stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, happens in one of two ways:

Ischemic stroke—when the blood supply to the brain is blocked

Hemorrhagic stroke—when a blood vessel in the brain bursts

A stroke causes brain tissue to die, which can lead to brain damage, disability, and death.

4. Learn the major risk factors. While some risk factors are outside your control – like race, age and gender – there are many you do have the power to control, such as diet, cigarette smoking, cholesterol and blood pressure.
5. Patients who arrive at the emergency room within 3 hours of their first symptoms often have less disability 3 months after a stroke than those who received delayed care.
6. Stroke risk increases with age, but strokes can—and do—occur at any age.
7. Eating too much salt, or sodium, can raise your blood pressure, putting you at higher risk of stroke.

STATS

• In 2018, 1 in every 6 deaths from cardiovascular disease was due to stroke.
• Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. Every 4 minutes, someone dies of stroke.
• Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes.
• About 185,000 strokes—nearly 1 of 4—are in people who have had a previous stroke.
• About 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes, in which blood flow to the brain is blocked.
• High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a major risk factor for stroke.
• Nearly half of men (47%) have high blood pressure (greater than or equal to 130/80 mmHg) or are taking medicine for their blood pressure. Four out of 5 men with high blood pressure do not have their blood pressure controlled.
• Half of men who are taking medicine for high blood pressure but whose blood pressure is uncontrolled have a blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg.