How big is the problem of stroke in the United States?

http://www.TakeBackYourHealth.com http://www.takebackyourhealth.com/uterinefibroidtumors.html Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. In 1996, it killed nearly 160,000 individuals—accounting for 7 percent of all deaths in the United States that year. With its devastating effects including partial or full paralysis, stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability. Here are some other facts you should know: •In the United States, there are more than 4 million stroke survivors, most of whom are either moderately or severely impaired. •Stroke accounts for more than half the patients hospitalized for acute neurological diseases. •Stroke is a major factor in late-life dementia that affects more than 40 percent of Americans older than 80. •The estimated combined cost of health care and lost productivity due to stroke in the United States was estimated at $45.3 billion during 1999 alone. •The estimated lifetime cost of a mild stroke in an older individual is $100,000. The estimated lifetime cost of a severe stroke in a younger individual is $500,000. •Stroke risk factors that can be changed or controlled include high blood pressure, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, smoking, high blood cholesterol, obesity, and physical inactivity. What States carry the highest death rates due to stroke? •The Stroke Belt is usually defined as an 8 to 12 State region (typically including Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.) where stroke death rates are substantially higher than in the rest of the country. •Within the Stroke Belt, the highest death rates are clustered in the coastal plains regions of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. This region has been called the Stroke Buckle. •The stroke death rate in the Stroke Buckle is 2 times greater than that in the rest of the Nation.

» View the original video «

YouTube | December 11, 2008

Tags:. .paralysis. .dementia. .neurological. .cholesterol. .impaired