According to the Department of Hospitalization and Organization of Care (DHOS), stroke constitute a major cause of disability (505,000 people live with sequelae), the second leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease but also one of the main causes of mortality. The Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES) therefore investigated and published a report on the risks of death due to strokes. Report where we learn that more than a quarter of adults hospitalized for stroke die in the following year.
Almost 15% of people die immediately
“In 2008-2009, 14.5% of patients died during the initial hospitalization. This high figure reflects the immediate severity of strokes which depends on the extent of the hemorrhagic or ischemic lesions, on the possible damage to vital centers. and early complications “ explain the DREES researchers.
But after the initial hospitalization period, recurrences or complications of neurological sequelae may occur. Thus, mortality increases after the initial hospitalization: it rises to 16% one month after the start of hospitalization and to 28% one year after.
All ages combined, the mortality rate is higher in women than in men (31% at one year, versus 25%), due to the significant weight of older classes in the female population. Indeed, the older we get, the more the death rate after a stroke increases: under 64 years, it is 13% at one year but it rises to 50% for patients aged at least 85 years. .
No more deaths after hemorrhagic stroke
Each year, in France, nearly 130,000 new people are stroke victims. This evil strikes without warning and in a brutal way: suddenly, a region of the brain does not function any more. In 80% of cases, it is a vessel or an artery in the brain that becomes blocked, this is called an ischemic infarction. In 20% of cases, it is a bleeding vessel, which is called a cerebral hemorrhage. It is this form of stroke that causes the most deaths: “The lethality of hemorrhagic strokes occurs mainly during the first month and reaches 34%, all ages combined. The lethality at one year is 45%, with values ranging between 13% for 18-34 year olds and 66% for older” say the researchers.
Stroke: an unforeseeable danger
Stroke strikes a French person every 4 minutes and is likely to recur in 30 to 40% of patients within 5 years of the first accident. It is an emergency that must be taken care of as quickly as possible. The 3 symptoms to know :
- deviation of the mouth or face
- weakness of the arm or leg
- difficulty expressing oneself.
“Faced with one of these symptoms, we must immediately call 15 to trigger the emergency services which will send the patient to a health establishment where he can be taken care of quickly” explains Dr Dr François Rouanet, neurologist, at Bordeaux University Hospital. Because after an hour, 120 million neurons are lost. And after 6 hours, treatments to unclog the artery can no longer be put in place.
More info on the website of the French Neuro-vascular Society: www.avcvitele15.com
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