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Overview
Strokes occur when blood vessels carrying oxygen and other nutrients to the brain become blocked or suddenly burst. Although doctors can sometimes intervene to reduce stroke damage, in many cases the brain cells served by these blood vessels become starved and begin to die off. After the stroke, the resulting damage may impair behavior or body functions controlled by the affected parts of the brain.
On average, someone in the United States has a stroke about once every 45 seconds, for a total of between 700,000 and 750,000 people a year. Strokes are the third-leading cause of death in the United States behind heart disease and cancer, killing about 275,000 people a year. About 5.4 million stroke survivors live in the United States today.
Strokes are closely linked with cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis, heart rhythm disorders, heart attacks, heart valve disorders, and especially high blood pressure. While the number of strokes increased nearly 7 percent from 1992 to 2002, the death rate fell nearly 14 percent during that same period. This increased survival rate is due, in part, to advances in diagnostic techniques and new treatments that allow physicians to intervene with less risk to the patient.
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