Healthcare at West Virginia University

The Stroke Center at WVU

Most risk factors for a stroke are within your control. Exercise, proper nutrition, and living smoke free can reduce the risk of stroke.

Risk factors include:

U.S. Statistics on Strokes

Stroke is the third leading cause of death.
Each year, about 700,000 people suffer a stroke.
At all ages, 40,000 more women than men have a stroke.
28% of people who suffer a stroke are under age 65.
Compared with whites, African-American men and women are more likely to die of stroke.
About 47 percent of stroke deaths occur out of hospital.
On average, someone in the United States suffers a stroke every 45 seconds; every 3.1 minutes someone dies of a stroke. .
Stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States.
8% of men and 11% of women will have a stroke within six (6) years after a heart attack.
14% of people who have a stroke or TIA will have another within a year.
22% of men and 25% of women who have an initial stroke die within a year

Sources: