9 out of 10 strokes can be prevented

Washington DC: Just when you thought strokes can strike anyone at any time, a team of researchers report that 90 per cent of them are preventable. High blood pressure remains the single most important modifiable risk factor for stroke and the impact of hypertension and nine other risk factors together account for 90 per cent of all strokes, according to an analysis of nearly 27000 people from every continent in the world ( INTERSTROKE).

Although the same ten risk factors were important and together accounted for 90 per cent of stroke risk in all regions, the relative role of some individual risk factors varied by region, which the authors say should influence the development of strategies for reducing stroke risk.

The study led by Dr Martin O’Donnell and Prof Salim Yusuf of the McMaster University, along with collaborators from 32 countries, builds on preliminary findings from the first phase of the INTERSTROKE study, which identified ten modifiable risk factors for stroke in 6000 participants from 22 countries. “This study is of an adequate size and scope to explore stroke risk factors in all major regions of the world, within key populations and within stroke subtypes. The wider reach confirms the ten modifiable risk factors associated with 90 per cent of stroke cases in all regions, young and older and in men and women. The study confirms

Hypertension is the most important modifiable risk factor associated with 47.9 per cent of stroke cases in all regions, and the key target in reducing the burden of stroke globally

that hypertension is the most important modifiable risk factor in all regions, and the key target in reducing the burden of stroke globally.

“To estimate the proportion of strokes caused by specific risk factors, the investigators calculated the population attributable risk for each factor. The PAR, which is an estimate of the overall disease burden that could be reduced if an individual risk factor were eliminated, was 47.9 per cent for hypertension, 35.8 per cent for physical inactivity, 23.2 per cent for poor diet, 18.6 per cent for obesity, 12.4 per cent for smoking, 9.1 per cent for cardiac ( heart) causes, 3.9 per cent for diabetes, 5.8 per cent for alcohol intake, 5.8 per cent for stress, and 26.8 per cent for lipids.

Many of these risk factors are known to also be associated with each other.

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