Decline in Stroke Death Among Americans: Study Confirms

The risk of stroke varies with race and ethnicity yet it is the third leading cause of death among Americans and also a leading cause of disability. In recent decades there has been a dramatic decline in stroke deaths due to improved treatments and better awareness, according to a new finding.

The study, published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke, claims that there has been a drop in stroke-related deaths in the United States due to improved treatments and also precautions to prevent it.  Stroke has dropped from third to fourth position as the leading cause of death among Americans.

"The decline in stroke deaths is one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th and 21st centuries," Daniel T. Lackland, Dr. P.H., professor of epidemiology at the Medical University of South Carolina, said in a statement. "The decline is real, not a statistical fluke or the result of more people dying of lung disease, the third leading cause of death."

According to the study researchers, public health efforts, initiated in 1970, were a major contributor to the decline. The awareness campaign mainly focused on lowering blood pressure and hypertension.

Reports according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest every year nearly 130,000 people die in the U.S. due to strokes i.e. 1 in 18 people. Stroke also called brain attack, leads to death or significant disability, paralysis, emotional problems and difficulty in speech.

Studies conducted earlier have shown ways to reduce the risk of stroke through changes in lifestyle and medication. The biggest risk factor for stroke is smoking. Cigarette smoking is known to double the risk of stroke. Similarly, alcohol intake also causes high blood pressure.

To bring down stroke risks smoke cessation programs were held along with awareness campaigns for controlling diabetes and cholesterol levels. Apart from this, stroke cases were given immediate and faster treatment. The lower death rate is also linked to improvement in acute stroke care.

"We can't attribute these positive changes to any one or two specific actions or factors as many different prevention and treatment strategies had a positive impact," Lackland said. "Policymakers now have evidence that the money spent on stroke research and programs aimed at stroke prevention and treatment have been spent wisely and lives have been saved."

Along with quitting smoking and controlling blood pressure, staying active through physical exercise is important. A drop in the rate of stroke related deaths was noticed in both men and women of all ethnic and racial groups and ages as well.

Despite this, there is a racial and geographic disparity with regard to the risk of stroke. Lackland concluded saying, "We need to keep doing what works and to better target these programs to groups at higher risk."