According to a study, the number of deaths worldwide from ischemic stroke increased from 2 million in 1990 to more than 3 million in 2019 and is expected to increase to nearly 5 million by 2030. Ischemic stroke is caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain and is the most common type of stroke.
“This increase in the global mortality rate of ischemic stroke is of concern with further increases predicted in the future, but ischemic stroke is highly preventable,” said Liege Xiong from Tongji University in Shanghai, China.
“Our results suggest that lifestyle factors such as smoking and a diet high in sodium, as well as a combination of other factors such as high blood pressure and high body mass index, may increase the risk of stroke,” Jeong said.
ALSO READ: Climate change likely to expose species to dangerous temperatures worldwide: Study
The study was published in the medical journal Neurology. For the study, the researchers analyzed data from the Global Health Data Exchange from 1990-2019. As the world population grew, the global number of deaths from ischemic stroke increased from 2.04 million in 1990 to 3.29 million in 2019.
However, the rate of stroke decreased from 66 strokes per 100,000 people in 1990 to 44 strokes per 100,000 people in 2019. Jeong said.
The researchers found that seven major risk factors, including smoking, a diet high in sodium, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, kidney dysfunction, high blood sugar and a high BMI, contributed to the high number of strokes.
The researchers then used the database to estimate the number of deaths for 2020–2030. They found that the death toll from ischemic stroke is expected to rise to 4.9 million in 2030.
When the researchers considered risk factors, they predicted that the total number of stroke deaths could reach 6.4 million if these risk factors were not controlled or prevented.
A limitation of the study was that the quality and accuracy of disease data for some countries could not be guaranteed because many countries did not have reliable information on stroke.