Between 2016 and 2021 the number of stroke deaths in England and Wales decreased significantly. In fact, in 2021 it was the 4th most common cause of death compared to the years before, including the COVID-19 years, where there was an increase in reported COVID-19 related strokes. It was the second leading cause of death from 2001 to 2011 where it dropped to 3rd.
Approximately 136.8 thousand hospital admissions for stroke occurred in the United Kingdom in 2021/22, a considerable drop from the year before. However, the number of stroke-related hospital admissions in the UK overall has somewhat increased from 2011–12.
More people survive this abrupt interruption of blood supply to a portion of the brain because of improved diagnosis and treatment of strokes. According to estimates from the American Heart Association, 6.4 million Americans have survived a stroke. In the UK, 1.3 million people are stroke survivors. Many suffer from permanent speech loss, paralysis, or other issues, while some have no mental or physical memories of the incident. Stroke is a major source of disability in reality; after three months, 20% of survivors require some form of institutional care, and up to 30% are permanently incapacitated. Stroke has a startling annual financial cost of $73.7 billion. The human cost is unquantifiable.
Although stroke treatment and post-stroke rehabilitation have greatly improved in the past few decades, prevention remains the best option. Prevention isn’t difficult, and it doesn’t cost a lot of money or require special equipment. It just works. According to recent standards, up to 80% of strokes may be avoided by leading a healthy lifestyle. The crucial actions are as follows:
Recognise your starting point. Your age, sex, genes, race, and ethnicity are factors that cannot be changed and can impact your risk of stroke. The greater your so-called nonmodifiable risk, the more critical it is to focus on the variables under your control.
- Exercise and nutrition. Stroke prevention begins with a good diet and regular exercise and physical activity.
- Don’t get started. If you are a smoker, try to stop. Try to stay away from second-hand smoking.
- Diabetes, elevated blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol. Your risk of stroke increases with each of these. Stroke can be avoided by maintaining appropriate blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels through food, exercise, and, if necessary, medication.
- Fibrillation of the heart. Atrial fibrillation, a disorder characterised by unpredictable, uncontrolled beating of the heart’s upper chambers, is a major cause of stroke. Aspirin or warfarin are two examples of medications that can help prevent stroke.
- Sickle cell illness. This blood condition, which primarily affects African Americans, significantly raises the risk of stroke. Taking care of sickle cell illness can dramatically lower the risk of stroke.
The 68-page study linked above includes a long list of additional risk factors for stroke, including oral contraceptives, substance misuse, migraines, and obstructive sleep apnoea, along with recommendations for reducing their effects.
Starting early is ideal, ideally in infancy or early adulthood. Nevertheless, it’s never too late to get started. These preventative techniques are wonderful because they have a cascading effect that goes well beyond stroke. They also combat osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, and other long-term illnesses. It’s a wise investment to make.
At Echelon Health we understand that everyone wants to live a long and healthy life. Unfortunately, a lot of us will not recognise that something is wrong until symptoms become noticeable.
However, thanks to the new technology in MRI, CT and Ultrasound preventive health assessments are carried out with precision never seen before. They can detect and discover many diseases at their earliest stage.
Many diseases are highly preventable in a lot of cases if caught early enough; Echelon Health screens for and detects up to 94% of diseases that lead to premature death.
Preventive Health Assessments are important even if you are symptom-free and usually, hypertension is not noticeable for many people until they check their blood pressure. At Echelon Health we offer many packages, including our fully comprehensive Platinum Assessment in which the following tests are performed:
- Medical Questionnaire & Pre-Assessment
- Blood Tests
- ECG
- CT Aorta
- CT Heart
- CT Coronary Angiogram
- CT Chest
- CT Pelvis
- CT Virtual Colonoscopy
- CT Bone Density
- EOS
- CT Upright Skeleton
- MRI Brain
- MRI Cerebral Artery Angiogram
- MRI Carotid Artery Angiogram
- MRI Prostate
- Ultrasound Thyroid
- Ultrasound Testes/ Ovaries
- Digital Mammogram
- Full Body Mole Screen
- Final Consultation
These tests help detect various heart diseases including coronary heart disease, atheroma, and more. When it comes to our Platinum Assessment, we provide the gold standard. Nothing in the assessment is based on statistical risk analysis; the tests look inside the individual and provide them with personal insight into their own body.
If you have any questions contact our team or check out our brochure for more information on all the health assessments we offer!
Let us help you protect your most valuable asset.
Sources:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/386402/morality-rate-of-stroke-by-gender-in-the-united-kingdom/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1132426/hospital-admissions-for-stroke-in-the-uk/