Critical Path Networks-Stroke Facts
• The United States will have 730,000 new stroke patients this year.
• Stroke ranks as the third-leading cause of death and the leading cause of long-term disability.
• The direct cost of stroke — hospitals, physicians, and rehabilitation — will add up to $17 billion.
• The indirect cost of stroke — lost productivity of the stroke survivor and caregiver — adds another $13 billion, for a total of $30 billion.
• In the first three months following a stroke, the average cost per patient is $15,000.
• For 10% of the stroke survivors, the costs exceed $35,000.
Stroke's Toll on Older Adults
• Stroke risk increases with age.
• For each decade after age 55, the risk of stroke doubles.
• For adults older than 65, the risk of dying from stroke is seven times that of the general population.
• Two-thirds of all strokes occur in people older than 65.
• Stroke is a major and increasing factor in the late-life dementia that affects more than 40% of Americans older than 80.
Source: National Stroke Association, 9707 East Easter Lane, Englewood, CO 80112-3747. Telephone: (303) 649-9299. Web site: www. stroke.org.
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