Stroke is a major cause of death and disability globally, with 6.55 million deaths (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 6.00–7.02 million), 101 million prevalent cases (95% UI 93.2–111 million) and 143 million disability adjusted life years lost (DALYs) (95% UI 133–153 million) in 2019. The impact is even higher in Asia with its rapidly ageing populations and economies in transition, which will be associated with increasing incidence of cardiovascular risk factors. Among the many unfavourable outcomes after transient ischaemic attack or ischaemic stroke is recurrent vascular events. In a meta-analysis of 58 studies (n=131,299) with a mean follow-up of 3.5 years (range 1.0–10.0), the risk of recurrent stroke was 4.26%/year (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.43–5.09), while the risk of MI was 1.67%/year (95% CI 1.36–1.98).
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