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Major Causes of Death in the
United Sates, 1995
Stroke, also known as cerebrovascular
accident (CVA) or "brain attack", is a syndrome
caused by a disruption in the flow of blood to part of the
brain due to either occlusion of a blood vessel (ischemic
stroke) or rupture of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke).
The interruption in blood flow deprives the brain of nutrients
and oxygen, resulting in injury to cells in the affected vascular
territory of the brain. Ischemic strokes are more common
than hemorrhagic strokes.
When
brain cells die, function of the body parts they control is
impaired or lost, causing paralysis, speech and sensory
problems, memory and reasoning deficits, coma, and possibly
death [National Stroke Association (NSA). Stroke Facts.
1996].
Stroke
is the third leading cause of death in the United States after
heart disease and cancer, with and incidence of approximately
550,000 cases per year, and is also a leading cause of
disability in adults [NSA, 1996].
In 1995, an estimated 2,312,180
deaths occurred in the U.S. [Rosenberg HM, et al. Births
and deaths: United States, 1995. Monthly Vital Statistics
Report. 1996;45(3), Suppl 2]. Of these, 158,061 deaths
were caused by cerebrovascular disease (stroke), representing
a death rate of 60.2 per 100,000 total estimated U.S. population.
The comparable figures for heart disease and cancer were 738,781
(281.2) and 537,969 (204.7). In 1994, nearly 1 in 15
Americans died as a result of stroke. [American Heart
Association. 1997 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update].
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Stroke Education
