The Risk of a Second Stroke

Abstract

In the United States, it is estimated that 800,000 people will have a stroke each year. Of these, approximately 600,000 are first-time strokes, which means that approximately one-fourth or 200,000 will have a repeated stroke. This means that every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke. Once in every 3.5 minutes, someone dies of stroke (CDC website). The yearly cost of stroke in the United States is estimated at $45 billion1 to $53 billion.2 Because stroke mostly affects older individuals (two-thirds of stroke occurs in individuals older than 65 years), as our population grows older, the rates of stroke, and its cost, will increase.