Abstract:
There has been a decline in the incidence of stroke over the last five decades. This has been a result of better understanding and management of risk factors, early investigations of potential causes of stroke, and enhancement in medical and surgical therapy to prevent recurrences. Despite considerable advances in understanding of mechanisms and therapy, vascular diseases continue to take a considerable toll on the human society. Together with heart disease and peripheral vascular disease, stroke accounts for over 50% of deaths in North America. Stroke is also the leading cause of chronic disability worldwide. Hypertension and smoking remain significant risk factors for stroke. The lack of early comprehensive and rapid evaluation of patients with transient ischemic attacks and stroke continues to result in recurrences of stroke and development of multi-infarct dementia, which could potentially be avoided. This review will focus on stroke prevention at the primary, secondary and tertiary level. The objectives are to create increased awareness of stroke risk factors, understanding of potential underlying causes and the application of treatments that have recently become available that may prevent further strokes.
Page(s):
107-113
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Proceedings of Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Volume: 32, Issue: 1--4, Year: 1995