Stroke could lead to nearly 10 million deaths annually by 2050, warns report

"Stroke is the leading cause of disability and death worldwide. Stroke leads to sudden loss of ability to speak, move limbs, vision problems and loss of consciousness. There are almost 1.25 crore new cases of stroke and more than 10 crore people are living with stroke at any point of time in the world. The number of new stroke patients have increased by almost 70 per cent from 1990s to 2020.

The stroke numbers have increased by around 20 per cent in people less than age 70 years. Stroke is a disease which occurs commonly with advancing age but stroke can be seen in any age group," says Dr Kapil Singhal, Director – Neurology, Fortis Hospital Noida in an interview with HT Digital.

Most of the brain strokes are associated with risk factors as detailed below and many of them can be prevented.