Response to Ariel Sharon's Stroke

Joe Korner, Director of Communications at The Stroke Association comments:

'We are saddened by the news that Ariel Sharon has had a major stroke. The incidence of having a major stroke is all too common following a Transient Ischaemic Attack or mini stroke.

'Our thoughts are with the Israeli Prime Minister, his family and friends and we wish him a good recovery.'

For further information please contact the Press Office at The Stroke Association on 0207 566 1500 or email press@stroke.org.uk

Notes to editor

What is a Stroke?
Stroke is a term used to describe the effects of an interruption of the blood supply to a localised area of the brain. The brain is the nerve centre of the body controlling everything we do. When a stroke occurs some brain cells are damaged and others die.

There are two main types of stroke:
· Ischaemic stroke - the most common type of stroke caused by a blood clot in the brain.
· Haemorhagic stroke - caused by a bleed in the brain.

A Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) is also known as a 'mini stroke' and this occurs when the brain's blood supply is briefly interrupted. The symptoms of a TIA are very similar to a full stroke but last under 24 hours. Having a TIA indicates the likelihood of suffering a full stroke at a later date.

Stroke Facts:
· It is the leading cause of disability and the third biggest killer in the UK.

· 110,000 strokes and a further 20,000 transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) occur in England every year; a quarter of strokes occur in people under 65. There are at least 300,000 people in England living with moderate to severe disabilities as a result of a stroke.

 
· The risk of a stroke within 7 days following a TIA can be up to 10% so it is vital that these patients are seen rapidly in a TIA clinic. However, only a third of people with TIA's ever get to a clinic.

· Stroke care costs the NHS £2.8 billion a year in direct care costs - more than the cost of treating coronary heart disease and the wider economy an additional £1.8 billion in lost productivity and disability. A further £2.4 billion covering the costs of home nursing and care borne by patients' families, giving a total cost of £7 billion a year.

· Stroke is often thought of as only affecting older people. While the majority of people who have a stroke are over 65, a sizable proportion (around 20%) are younger than the age of retirement. That is 25,000 people a year, including children.

· Over half the population (UK) are unable to correctly identify what a stroke is.

 
· Many people still do not realise that strokes can be prevented: they cannot list the main risk factors for stroke, or how to manage them.

 
· Co-ordination between stroke teams in hospitals and ambulances can reduce the time between the start of a stroke and seeing a stroke specialist. But only 16% of hospitals have protocols in place with ambulance services for the rapid referral of stroke patients.

 
· Rapid access to a brain scan is critical but less than 20% of stroke units have access to scans within three hours of admission; and only 22% of stroke patients had a scan on the same day as their stroke.

 
· In England less than one per cent of stroke patients receive thrombolysis (the use of drugs that break up the blood clot in the brain that is the cause of around 85% of strokes) compared to 9% in Australia, where 40% then go on to fully recover from their strokes - (these drugs must be given within a few hours of the onset of the stroke but the patient must have a brain scan to determine whether the treatment is possible).

· More than three times as many women die from stroke as they do from breast cancer in the UK.

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