Living longer will fuel a 60pc rise in strokes in two decades

 The number of people suffering a stroke will rise by nearly 60 per cent in the next 20 years, the Stroke Association has found.

High blood pressure, which is linked to unhealthy lifestyles, along with the fact that people are living longer, is helping to fuel the rise, according to the report.

It said first-time strokes among people aged 45 and over in the UK will rise from 117,600 in 2015 to 148,700 in 2025 and 187,000 in 2035, a 59 per cent rise over 20 years. The main rise is expected to be among people aged 85 and over.

At the same time, stroke survivors will rise from 950,000 in 2015 to 1.4million in 2025 and 2.1million in 2035, a 123 per cent rise over 20 years.

Dominic Brand, director of external affairs at the Stroke Association, said: “We need to act now to prevent the UK from sleepwalking towards a stroke crisis.

“Most strokes are preventable but there’s still a lot we don’t know.”