Stroke: The Second Leading Cause of Death Worldwide

It is a major cause of disability and the second leading cause of death globally. As the population ages, its incidence rises. Additionally, stroke affects more young people in low-income and middle-income nations. Although ischaemic stroke occurs more frequently, hemorrhagic stroke causes more fatalities and lost disability-adjusted life years.

Second Leading Cause of Death Worldwide

Stroke mortality and incidence vary by nation, region, and ethnicity. According to the most recent Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 stroke burden estimates, stroke continues to rank as the second most common cause of death worldwide (roughly 7 million) and the third most common cause of death and disability combined (more than 160 million DALYs) among non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The majority of the world's stroke burden (87.2% of deaths and 89.4% of DALYs) occurs in low-income and low-middle-income countries.

Ischaemic Stroke Accounts for 65% of Cases Worldwide

Worldwide, 65.3% of incident strokes were ischaemic stroke, 28.8% were intracerebral haemorrhage, and 5.8% were subarachnoid haemorrhage. High BMI (88.2%), high ambient temperature (72.4%), high fasting plasma glucose (32.1%), diet high in sugar-sweetened beverages (23.4%), low physical activity (11.3%), high systolic blood pressure (6.7%), exposure to lead (6.5%), and diet low in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (5.3%) were all associated with significant increases in DALYs. A public health challenge and an opportunity for action, the study also demonstrated that stroke is highly preventable, with 23 modifiable risk factors-such as high blood pressure, air pollution, excess body weight, smoking, and physical inactivity-accounting for 84% of the stroke burden in 2021.

The Worldwide Socio-Economic Effects of Stroke

Economic Impact: Stroke leads to depletion of funds from one's expenses.
Expensive: The cost of good quality rehabilitation might not be affordable to many people, especially those living in high-income countries.
Growing burden: The global occurrence of stroke is inclining upwards at a fast pace due to various underlying causes.
Decreases in Productivity: Due to all the problems occurring post stroke, decrease in oneâ€™s productivity is commonly seen.
Medical Costs: The appropriate comprehensive care constitutes high medical costs.
Increasing Poverty: Due to excessive spending of funds, the chance of the family falling into poverty is high.
Decreased Life Quality: Post stroke, the individual might feel reduced quality of life, deprived of independence and reduced mobility.
Social Exclusion: Affected individuals might face social exclusion, or they themselves don't want to be a part of any social environment.
The burden on the family: Families have physical, mental and emotional burden.
Altered Mental Health: Stroke survivors often undergo anxiety and depression, which impacts the overall recovery.

Demand for Cross-Border Stroke Care

Significant treatment gaps still exist globally despite improvements in stroke care. There is a severe lack of neurologists, specialised stroke units, and rehabilitation experts as well as centres in many countries. Even when care is available, patients may not be able to get timely and efficient treatment because of lengthy wait times, high costs, or a lack of insurance and in many countries worldwide, there is not even a basic care for Stroke available that leads to increased mortality rate and highest chances of disability post stroke that remains untreatable. As a result, more patients and families are exploring cross-border medical care as a viable solution. MediGence, your guiding angel is the world's leading and only integrated technology platform that delivers a complete experience to medical travelers. We offer internationally accredited hospitals, experienced neurologists along with rehabilitation experts, and state-of-the-art rehabilitation centers often with significantly reduced wait times.Stroke is both preventable and treatable - but only when timely, expert care is accessible. Unfortunately, for millions around the world, the following barriers continue to impact outcomes and quality of life:

Cost seen in countries like the United States, Switzerland, Norway, Germany and Japan.
Limited infrastructure seen in Portugal.
Delayed intervention due to long waiting times in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden.

By connecting individuals with internationally accredited hospitals equipped with advanced technologies, skilled neurologists, and advanced rehabilitation services abroad including robotic-assisted therapy, virtual reality-based rehabilitation, speech and cognitive retraining systems, MediGence empowers patients to take control of their recovery journey.As the global burden of stroke continues to rise, cross-border healthcare is not just a convenience, it is a vital solution for saving lives, restoring independence, and ensuring that no one is left behind in the fight against stroke