Stroke

Stroke (also known as cerebrovascular disease) occurs when the supply of blood to the brain is suddenly disrupted. Blood may stop moving through an artery because the artery is blocked by a blood clot or plaque, or because the artery breaks or bursts.

When blood is stopped, the brain cannot get the oxygen it needs. Brain cells in the area die and the brain can become permanently damaged. Whilst stroke is more common amongst the elderly, it is not isolated to this age bracket. Over 50% of strokes are under the age of 75 years with around 5% of strokes under the age of 45 years.

• Stroke is the third largest cause of death and one of the leading causes of disability amongst adults in Australia.
• Over 48,000 strokes occur in Australia every year. With the ageing population this number will rise to a staggering 74,000 by the year 2017 if nothing is done in prevention of stroke.
• Of the 48,000 people that experience a stroke each year, one third will die in the first 12 months.
• Approximately 220,000 Australians who have suffered a stroke are living in the community.