About WSO
The World Stroke Organization is the only global body solely
focused on stroke. With around 4000 individual and 90 society members spanning
every global region, we represent over 55,000 stroke specialists in clinical,
research and community settings.
World Stroke Day 2020 News Release
29 Oct 2020 https://www.world-stroke.org/news-and-blog/news/world-stroke-day-2020-news-release
WSO leader calls on governments to prioritise
population-based approaches to public health, as adult lifetime risk of stroke
increases from 1 in 6, to 1 in 4.
To mark World Stroke Day on Oct 29th 2020, has issued a call
to governments and policy makers to prioritise population-based approaches to
public health improvement as part of future public health
strategies. ‘Current approaches to prevention have failed to deliver any
significant impact on CVD and stroke prevention’, said WSO President, Prof
Michael Brainin. ‘The adult lifetime risk of stroke is now 1 in 4, compared to
1 in 6 less than a decade ago. Global progress on prevention has stalled, at an
enormous cost to individuals, and an increasing cost to society.
The failure has been made even more visible by the current
global health and economic crisis, where poor population health and fragile
healthcare systems have combined with COVID-19 infection to deliver a perfect
storm. As we navigate and emerge from the current global crisis, we
strongly encourage governments to prioritise population-based strategies that
will improve health, build more resilient societies and aid the global economic
recovery.’
UN member states have committed to reduce premature
mortality from non-communicable diseases by one third by 2030. As the second
leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability addressing the risk
factors for stroke is essential to delivering on that commitment.
Prof Valery Feigin, a public health researcher based at New
Zealand’s AUT, who serves on the WSO Executive Committee added, ‘Now more than
ever, we must ensure that approaches to prevent stroke are not only
cost-effective and evidence-based. When 80% of strokes happen to people who are
not categorized as high-risk, we clearly need to rethink our approach.
Clinically-focused patient screening strategies often fail to identify and
support people with low and moderate risk to ensure that they remain healthy in
the longer-term and here is scant, robust scientific evidence that national
screening programs offer value for money in terms of reducing the burden of
disease.
‘Identifying people and labelling them as low-risk gives
them false reassurance and reduces their motivation to take action. By placing
all our bets on identifying and treating diseases of the circulatory system, we
are missing the opportunity to intervene on the causes much earlier in the
prevention timeline where the costs are lowest. What we need is a focus and
commitment to the implementation of policies such that address tobacco use,
alcohol consumption, exercise and diet that help people to make healthier
choices. In a challenging economic environment this also makes sense; the
benefit-cost ratio for every dollar spent on population-wide primary prevention
is 10.9. While there is a place for screening and management of clinical risk
factors, our strong recommendation is that it should be complementary to population-based
strategies, not the other way around.’
Today’s call builds on the WSO
Declaration on Prevention of Stroke and Dementias, published in the The
Lancet Neurology earlier in 2020. Key principles in the Declaration that
the global stroke body is recommending include:
1 Adoption of population wide strategies that reduce
exposure to stroke risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol and food policies, as
well as action to address environmental risk factors, including air pollution,
across the lifespan of the whole population.
2 Implementation and promotion of motivational mobile
technologies, e.g. the WSO endorsed StrokeRiskometer, to identify individual
risks and support action on lifestyle risk factors among adults.
3 Access to low dose combination of generic blood pressure
and lipid-lowering therapies in one polypill for middle age and older adults
with at least two behavioural or clinical stroke risk factors.
4 Investment, training and deployment of community
health workers to facilitate implementation.
In The Lancet Neurology article, WSO presented combined
research evidence that shows a combination of these interventions would lower
the incidence and of stroke by 50% and dementia incidence by 30% while
contributing to decrease in incidence of other non-communicable diseases which
share common risk factors.
WSO President Prof Michael Brainin, who champions the
organization’s prevention effort said ‘COVID-19 has spurred previously
inconceivable levels of government intervention and individual behaviour change
around the world, but we have been effectively living with a stroke pandemic
and a failing prevention strategy for years.
The need for similar, radical action on stroke is clear and
our prevention principles provide low cost, evidence-based approaches that if
implemented globally would not only save millions of lives but would deliver
savings of hundreds of billions of dollars annually. This is money that will be
desperately needed to strengthen global health systems and to fuel economic
recovery in the wake of COVID-19.’
https://www.heartandstroke.ca/
https://www.heartandstroke.ca/how-you-can-help/volunteer/join-us/saskatchewan
What is stroke?
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What is stroke?
A stroke happens when blood stops flowing to any part of
your brain, damaging brain cells. The effects of a stroke depend on the part of
the brain that was damaged and the amount of damage done. Knowing how your
brain works can help you understand your stroke.
About Heart & Stroke
Life. We don’t want you to miss it. That’s why Heart & Stroke leads
the fight against heart disease and stroke. We must generate the next
medical breakthroughs, so people in Canada don’t miss out on precious
moments. Together, we are working to prevent disease, save lives and
promote recovery through research, health promotion and public policy.
Signs of stroke
Stroke is a medical emergency. If you experience any of
these signs, call 9-1-1. Do not drive to the hospital. An ambulance will get
you to the best hospital for stroke care.
Prevention is key
Prevention starts with knowing your risk. Nine in ten
Canadians have at least one risk factor for stroke or heart disease. Almost 80%
of premature stroke and heart disease can be prevented through healthy
behaviors. That means that habits like eating healthy, being active and living
smoke free, have a big impact on your health.
https://www.heartandstroke.ca/stroke/risk-and-prevention
