9 Out of 10 Strokes Could Be Prevented, Study Finds

9 Out of 10 Strokes Could Be Prevented, Study Finds 
Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability but the vast majority of strokes are preventable, according to a new study. Researchers discovered that 10 controllable risk factors account for 90 percent of all strokes worldwide. Of these modifiable risk factors, high blood pressure (hypertension) is the most important.

“The study confirms that hypertension is the most important modifiable risk factor in all regions, and the key target in reducing the burden of stroke globally,” said study co-leader Dr. Martin O’Donnell. He is an associate clinical professor in the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, and the HRB-Clinical Research Facility in Galway, Ireland. Preventing strokes is a major public health priority and strategies for reducing people’s risk should be based on key preventable causes of stroke, the researchers said. The study, published July 15 in The Lancet, involved nearly 27,000 people from every continent.