Stroke

Every year up to 70,000 Canadians have a heart attack and 50,000 suffer a stroke.

The risk is real:

An estimated 1 in 4 Canadians have some form of cardiovascular disease that will result in coronary artery disease, heart attack or stroke.

80% of Canadians between the ages of 20 and 59 have at least one of the following risk factors for heart disease or stroke:

• smoking
• physical inactivity
• being overweight
• high blood pressure
• diabetes

By age 70, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 4 men report being told by a physician that they have heart problems.

86% of patients who suffer a heart attack and 75% of patients who suffer a stroke survive the incident.

After age 55, the risk of stroke doubles every 10 years.

In 1999, there were 20,258 coronary by-pass surgeries and 24,652 coronary angioplasties performed in Canada to avert a life threatening situation.

What would diagnosis of a heart attack or stroke mean to you?