Throughout the country, strokes occur at the rate of one per minute. More than 600,000 Americans experience a stroke each year and 160,000 of those will die. The estimated cost of stroke to the nation each year is 30 billion dollars. However, people over age 65 experience almost three fourths of all strokes. The death rate from stroke in African Americans is almost double that of Caucasians.
Ischemic strokes can occur when a blood clot forms in a blood vessel in the brain or neck.
Blood clots can also travel from other parts of the body, such as the heart, to the neck or brain and cause a stroke. Finally, a blood vessel that is extremely narrowed can cause an ischemic stroke. The second category of stroke, hemorrhagic, accounts for approximately one out of five strokes and is caused by a blood vessel breaking and leaking blood in or around the brain. Hemorrhagic stroke is associated with a higher death rate than ischemic stroke. Hemorrhage can occur from a weak or thinned out area on the artery wall that balloons out over time, and then ruptures.