A stroke occurs every ten minutes in Canada.
Stroke commonly results in death, or alternatively in enormous disability.
For every ten Canadians suffering a stroke, two will die, six will have varying degrees of disability, and two will achieve some neurological recovery but will have a diminished quality of life. But there is hope. Studies indicate that many strokes are preventable, and that controlling risk factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and heart disease decreases the incidence of stroke. While recent studies also indicate that stroke may be treatable but there is a gap between Canadians' expectations that stroke is treatable and the ability of our health system to deliver timely care of high quality to stroke patients. The Canadian Stroke Network aims to break the barriers of treatment of stroke by developing innovative prevention and recovery strategies through multidisciplinary and multisectoral research.