90% strokes can be prevented

Just when you thought strokes can strike anyone at any time, a team of researchers report that 90 percent of them are preventable.

High blood pressure remains the single most important modifiable risk factor for stroke and the impact of hypertension and nine other risk factors together account for 90 percent of all strokes, according to an analysis of nearly 27000 people from every continent in the world (INTERSTROKE).

The study led by Dr Martin O’Donnell and Prof Salim Yusuf of the McMaster University, along with collaborators from 32 countries, builds on preliminary findings from the first phase of the INTERSTROKE study, which identified ten modifiable risk factors for stroke in 6000 participants from 22 countries.

Yusuf added, ‘Our findings will inform the development of global population-level interventions to reduce stroke, and how such programs may be tailored to individual regions, as we did observe some regional differences in the importance of some risk factors by region. This includes better health education, more affordable healthy food, avoidance of tobacco and more affordable medication for hypertension and dyslipidaemia.’

They added, ‘It should also be emphasised that stroke prevention programs must be integrated with prevention of other major non-communicable diseases that share common risk factors with stroke to be cost-effective. We have heard the calls for actions about primary prevention. Now is the time for governments, health organisations, and individuals to proactively reduce the global burden of stroke. Governments of all countries should develop and implement an emergency action plan for the primary prevention of stroke.’

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