Stroke death rates have declined dramatically in the U.S. owing to improved treatment and prevention methods.
Stroke is now the fourth leading cause of death in the United States with more than 140,000 stroke deaths being reported annually. According to an American Heart Association report, the number is dramatically lower than what it was a decade ago - all thanks to the improved treatment and prevention methods implemented by medical sectors across the country, a press release revealed.
"The decline in stroke deaths is one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th and 21st centuries," said Daniel T. Lackland, at the Medical University of South Carolina, in Charleston, S.C. "The decline is real, not a statistical fluke or the result of more people dying of lung disease, the third leading cause of death."
So what are these additional methods that the U.S. government has adopted to curb this growing stroke death numbers? Quicker treatment is definitely one of them. Patients are immediately attended to as they come to the hospital and this is facilitated by hiring adequate staff members in every medical center. Advancements in medication have also been a large contributing factor.
A sense of awareness resulted in people reducing the intake of salt in their diet, which is another reason why the number of stroke deaths reduced. Moreover, people are recognizing stroke symptoms earlier, making it easier to treat.
"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. For the public, the effort you put into lowering your blood pressure, stopping smoking, controlling your cholesterol and diabetes, exercising and eating less salt has paid off with a lower risk of stroke."
A similar stroke mortality decline has been observed throughout Europe over the same period but not so much in developing countries. Researchers state that these racial disparities can be attributed to poor living conditions, unawareness of stroke symptoms and inaccessibility of proper medical care.
