U.S. Stroke Facts

• Stroke is the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and cancer.

• Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability.

• Over 700,000 people have a stroke every year. Over 160,000 of them will die from it.

• On average, every 45 seconds someone has a stroke and every three minutes someone dies of a stroke.

• 61 percent of all stroke-related deaths occur in women.

• African Americans are twice as likely to die of stroke or complications from stroke as people in any other racial or ethnic group.

• Stroke kills twice as many women as breast cancer and AIDS combined.

• Anyone can have a stroke; it occurs in all age group. It can even happen before birth.

• Experts think that up to 80 percent of strokes can be prevented. Some risk factors cannot be controlled, such as age, family history, and ethnicity. But you can reduce your risk of stroke by modifying your controllable risk factors.