About half of people who have had a stroke live less than one year. Disability affects 75% of stroke survivors enough to decrease their employability. 30 to 50% of stroke survivors suffer post-stroke depression. Up to 10% of people following a stroke develop seizures.
Overall, two thirds of strokes occurred in those over 65 years old. Treating hypertension can reduce the risk of a stroke by 40%. Smoking just one cigarette per day increases the risk more than 30%.
Diabetes mellitus increases the risk of stroke by 2 to 3 times. High levels of physical activity reduce the risk of stroke by about 26%. Those with atrial fibrillation have a 5% a year risk of stroke
Nutrition, specifically the Mediterranean-style diet, has the potential for decreasing the risk of having a stroke by more than half
Every minute in which a large vessel ischemic stroke is untreated, the average patient loses 1.9 million neurons, 13.8 billion synapses, and 12 km of axonal fibers. Each hour in which treatment fails to occur, the brain loses as many neuron as it does in almost 3.6 years of normal aging.
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