Stroke Kills 7 Million Worldwide Each Year, and Deaths Are Rising

Stroke is on the rise worldwide and is now the third leading cause of death Rates rose 70% between 1990 and 2021, a new report finds Cleaner air and better diets could help reduce excess stroke death and disability THURSDAY, Sept. 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Climate change and worsening diets are sending global rates of stroke and stroke deaths skyward, a new study warns. Almost 12 million people worldwide had a stroke in 2021, up 70% since 1990, according to a team led by Valery Feigin , of the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand.

It's now the third leading cause of death in the world, killing more than 7.3 million people each year. It doesn't have to be this way, since stroke is largely preventable, experts say.

“With 84% of the stroke burden linked to 23 modifiable risk factors, there are tremendous opportunities to alter the trajectory of stroke risk for the next generation,” said study co-author Dr. Catherine Johnson . She's lead research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, in Seattle.

Some risk factors for stroke include air pollution (exacerbated by climate change), excess body weight, high blood pressure, smoking and physical inactivity. All of these hazards can be reduced or controlled, the researchers said. The study was published Sept.

18 in The Lancet Neurology journal. Besides the millions of deaths linked to stroke, these attacks often leave survivors seriously disabled. The numbe.