Stroke: Ischemic and Hemorrhagic

Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke. Approximately 87% of all strokes are ischemic in nature while the remaining 13% are hemorrhagic, divided between intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage. According to the American Heart Association 2015 statistics, there are nearly 800,000 strokes annually in the United States with three-quarters of those being a patient’s first stroke (Mozaffarian, et al. Circulation, 2016;133(4):e38–e360). The rates of stroke are decreasing among high-income countries, but continue to increase in other parts of the world. Interestingly, stroke is more common in younger men, but even more common in older women. Stroke occurs more frequently in blacks and Hispanics than whites and is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the world (Schneider, et al. Stroke. 2004;35(7):1552; Morgenstern et al. Am J Epidemiol 2004;160(4):376). It is estimated that approximately 6.6 million Americans, over the age of 20, have had a stroke. This number is expected to increase by approximately 3.5 million by the year 2030, which will reflect a 20% increase from 2012. As a result, it should be treated aggressively in hopes to limit its negative effects and associated morbidity and mortality.