Quality of life after stroke

Abstract

Stroke constitutes a major medical and social problem, and remains a leading cause of death in industrialized societies. The incidence of stroke and mortality varies among countries. Epidemiological data for stroke obtained for Western Europe and the USA indicate a decrease in incidence and case fatality, whereas those for Central and Eastern Europea show unfavorable results. In Poland, stroke constitutes the fourth leading cause of death, affecting ≈60,000 people every year. Despite stabilized mortality trends due to stroke - 25% in the first month and 40% after 12 months - each year ≈36,000 victims of stroke require permanent treatment and rehabilitation in Poland [1]. In the USA, ≈795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke each year. The stroke incidence rate is higher for men compared with women at younger ages, but not at older ages, at which time ≈55,000 more women than men have a stroke [2]. Due to an aging society and improved survival, this number is expected to grow in the coming years. The term stroke most often refers to a cerebrovascular incident of atherosclerotic origin. In reality, it refers to various medical conditions not necessarily related to atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels (e.g., stroke after atrial fibrillation (AF) or intracerebral hemorrhage), each with its own prognosis, and possibly requiring separate courses of treatment.