By 2050, the number of people who die from stroke globally is estimated to increase by 50 per cent to 9.7 million deaths per year if urgent action is not taken, a new study reveals. Furthermore, the health and economic impacts of stroke will disproportionately affect lower and middle-income countries (LMICs) between 2020 and 2050.
The study, published in the journal Lancet Neurology, reviewed evidence-based guidelines, recent surveys, and in-depth interviews with stroke experts worldwide and provides recommendations to reduce stroke-related deaths and economic impact, as reported by Press Trust India (PTI).
In the last three decades, the number of people who suffer a stroke, die from or remain disabled by the condition globally has almost doubled, mainly affecting people living in LMICs, where the prevalence of the condition is increasing at a faster rate compared to high-income countries, as reported by PTI. The findings are a collaborative effort of the World Stroke Organization and the Lancet Neurology Commission.
According to the researchers, if this continues, one of the World Health Organization’s key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aims to reduce the 41 million premature deaths from non-communicable diseases – including stroke – by one-third by 2030, will not be met.
“Stroke exerts an enormous toll on the world’s population, leading to the death and permanent disability of millions of people each year, and costing billions of dollars,” Valery L. Feigin, of Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand told PTI.
The report states that the number of stroke deaths in LMICs is projected to rise from 5.7 million in 2020 to 8.8 million in 2050, as reported by PTI. Asia currently accounts for the highest number of global stroke deaths in deaths in 2020 (61 per cent, around 4.1 million deaths) and this is projected to rise to around 69 per cent by 2050 (around 6.6 million deaths), the researchers said in the study.
Without urgent action, stroke deaths in Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania could increase by almost 2 million deaths, from 3.1 million in 2020 to potentially 4.9 million in 2050, according to a press statement published in EurekaAlert!
Implementing and monitoring based on firm evidence could lead to a drastic reduction in the global burden of stroke, which might help address the projected burden, the researchers suggest in the statement.
