Facts about strokes we all need to know

STROKE deaths reduced by 8% last year. According to the CSO, 1,837 people died from stroke in 2014, compared to 2,001 in 2013. 

However, the death rate among women aged 55 and over increased from 59%, in 2013, to 61%, in 2014.

A stroke is a ‘brain attack’ when blood supply to the brain is cut off, either by a clot (ischaemic stroke) or brain bleed (haemorrhagic. Symptoms occur suddenly, and can include weakness or numbness on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, blurred vision, or loss of sight.