Stroke care a ‘sorry story of neglect’

UNCONTROLLED high blood pressure, as well as causing stroke, is now emerging as the major cause of cognitive impairment, the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has warned.

IHF president Prof Eoin O’Brien said stroke management in Ireland remains a sorry story of neglect with victims of the devastating illness still largely treated without appropriate care.

And there was no “logic” in blaming the recession for putting off the establishment of a national network of stroke units, Prof O’Brien told a major conference on stroke in Dublin.