Stroke facts from the American Stroke Association
STROKE INCIDENCE, MORTALITY, AND DISABILITY
• About 800,000 (approximately 795,000) people in the United States have a stroke every year, with about 3 in 4 being first-time strokes.
.
• In the U.S., about as many people have a stroke each year (795,000) as a heart attack (790,000).
• Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. Every 3 minutes 42 seconds, someone dies of a stroke.
• Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death in the United States, killing more than 140,000 people a year (approximately 142,000). That’s 1 in every 19 deaths.
• Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and the leading preventable cause of disability. Stroke, or vascular dementia, is also a leading cause of memory loss.
Signs of Stroke in Men and Women
- Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause