Fact Sheets and At-a-Glance Reports

Stroke Fact Sheet

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Source: CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Stroke Facts

• Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Around 137,000 Americans die of stroke every year.¹
   
• A stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, occurs when a clot blocks the blood supply to the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts.
   
• Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. Every three to four minutes, someone dies of stroke.²
   
• Stroke is a leading cause of death for both men and women. In 2006, 6 out of every 10 deaths due to stroke were in women.¹
   
• Every year, about 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes. About 185,000 people who survive a stroke eventually have another.²
   
• Stroke is an important cause of disability. In 2005, nearly 1.1 million stroke survivors reported difficulty performing basic activities of daily life.³
   
• In 2009, stroke will cost the United States $68.9 billion.² This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.
   
• Common stroke warning signs and symptoms include—
   
  • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg—especially on one side of the body.
  • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
  • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
  • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
  • Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
     
• You can’t control some stroke risk factors, such as heredity, age, gender, and ethnicity. Some medical conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, overweight or obesity, and previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), can raise also your stroke risk. Not smoking, not drinking excessively, and getting exercise are all choices you can make to reduce your risk.

CDC's Public Health Efforts

CDC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program
Since 1998, CDC has funded state health departments’ efforts to reduce the number of people with heart disease or stroke. Health departments in 41 states and the District of Columbia currently receive funding. The program stresses policy and education to promote heart-healthy and stroke-free living and working conditions.

Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry
CDC funds health departments in seven states—Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Ohio—to collect stroke data through the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry. The data collected will help hospitals improve acute stroke care guidelines and practice, which will improve patient outcomes by reducing untimely deaths, preventing disability, and avoiding recurrent strokes.

Stroke Networks
CDC supports regional stroke networks to increase stroke awareness, prevention, and quality care. Public health and medical professionals, policy makers, and community health advocates participate in these networks, which encourage collaborative stroke-related partnerships, education, prevention activities, training, and policy strategies within and between states.

A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke
These recommendations—the result of a far-reaching collaboration—help guide the nation’s heart disease and stroke prevention efforts. A national forum of experts committed themselves to preventing disease rather than treating it and to transforming public health agencies into effective agents of change. CDC convenes the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and implements the Plan.

WISEWOMAN
CDC funds 21 WISEWOMAN projects in 19 states and two tribal organizations. WISEWOMAN helps women with little or no health insurance reduce their risk for heart disease, stroke, and other chronic diseases. The program assists women age 40 to 64 in improving their diet, physical activity, and other behaviors. WISEWOMAN also provides cholesterol tests and other screening.

For More Information

For more information about stroke, visit the following Web sites.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• American Stroke Association*
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
   

References

1. Heron MP, Hoyert DL, Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD, Tejada-Vera B. Deaths: Final data for 2006. [PDF-323K] National Vital Statistics Reports; 57(14). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2009.
2. Lloyd-Jones D, Adams R, Carnethon M, et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics––2009 Update. A Report From the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee.* Circulation. 2009;119:e21–e181.
3. CDC. Prevalence and most common causes of disability among adults—United States, 2005. MMWR 2009;58(16):421–426.
   
    

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*Links to non–Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.
 

Page last reviewed: November 18, 2009
Page last modified: November 18, 2009
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion