Stroke deaths fall by 55% in decade

BETTER care and new treatments may have helped halve the number of deaths from strokes in England in a decade.

Drugs that cut blood pressure and cholesterol, along with stroke units and physiotherapy at home are also thought to be boosting survival rates.

Oxford University research, published in the British Medical Journal, said deaths decreased by 55 per cent between 2001 and 2010. However, stroke rates have increased among the under-55s – which experts believe is partly down to poor lifestyles and increasing obesity.

‘Our findings show that most of the reduction in stroke mortality is a result of improved survival of patients with stroke,’ the researchers said. ‘However, acute and longterm management of such patients is expensive, and the NHS is already spending about 5 per cent of its budget on stroke care.

‘By focusing on prevention and reducing the occurrence of stroke, major resources can be conserved.’ The researchers analysed data from almost 800,000 adults in England who were admitted to hospital with acute stroke or who died from one between 2001 and 2010.

Fatalities decreased across all age groups in this period, the study found. In 2001, 42 per cent of men and 44 per cent of women who suffered a stroke did not survive beyond 30 days, the study found.

But by 2010, the figure was 26 per cent in men and 29 per cent in women. While the number of overall strokes dropped by around 20 per cent over the decade, among those aged 35 to 54 there was a rise of 2 per cent each year.

‘The increase in stroke event rates in young adults is a concern,’ the authors said.

‘This suggests that stroke prevention needs to be strengthened to reduce the occurrence of stroke in people younger than 55 years.’

More than 100,000 Britons a year have a stroke, which occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. It is now the country’s fourth biggest killer.

Mark McDonald, of the Stroke Association, said: ‘Stroke can strike anyone – young, old and everyone in between. While it’s good news that fewer people are dying from stroke, these latest findings suggest that the number of strokes in people aged under 55 are on the rise.

‘We also know that in the UK, one in four strokes happen to people of working age, and in general people are having strokes earlier in their lives. Unhealthy lifestyles could partly be to blame for this increase, with smoking, obesity and high blood pressure putting people at risk of a stroke.

‘We must also remember that a growing population and changes to hospital admission practice are important factors.’