Stroke mortality in Switzerland has halved in 20 years

The proportion of patients dying as a result of a stroke in Switzerland - has halved, from 22.7% to 10.5%. Keystone-SDA

The number of stroke-related deaths in Switzerland has halved over the past 20 years, according to a national study published to mark World Stroke Day, which takes place next month. Prevention and urgent care are bearing fruit.

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Between 2004 and 2017, the mortality rate due to strokes fell from 77.5 to 38.5 per 100,000 inhabitants among women, and from 56.1 to 27.2 among men, the Swiss Heart Foundation revealed on Monday. The figures from the Federal Statistical Office (SFSO) related to 1.4 million hospital admissions.

The case-fatality rate – the proportion of patients dying as a result of a stroke – has also halved, from 22.7% to 10.5%. The study was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

At the same time, the number of diagnoses almost doubled, from around 14,000 to more than 26,000 cases a year, an increase attributed to advances in screening and data collection.

Despite this increase, stroke-related deaths have fallen. The Swiss Heart Foundation is pleased to report that this is due to better recognition of the symptoms by the general public and rapid treatment in specialist centres.

Efforts to be continued

“Thanks to the enormous progress made in acute treatment, we are increasingly succeeding in preventing serious disability or death,” professor Susanne Wegener of Zurich University Hospital, lead author of the study, said in a press release.

The foundation estimates that over half of all strokes could still be avoided by proper prevention and a healthy lifestyle.

“Knowing your risk factors and reacting to warning signs such as sudden paralysis or speech problems can save lives,” said professor Marcel Arnold, vice-chair of the foundation and director of the Stroke Centre at the Inselspital in Bern.

The foundation is calling for continued efforts in prevention and information. Active in research and awareness-raising, it runs national campaigns and educational projects to promote cardiovascular health.

“The current figures show that our commitment is bearing fruit, but also that there is still a lot to be done. Every stroke prevented represents suffering spared,” said Arnold.

World Stroke Day takes place on November 29 this year.

Translated from German by DeepL/sb

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