The number of people who will suffer strokes is expected to increase by more than half in the next decade.
Lifestyle factors combined with an aging population and insufficient action on stroke prevention will cause cases to rise from 100,000 to 150,000 by 2035, according to an analysis by the Stroke Association.
They estimate that the associated cost – both in terms of healthcare and lost productivity – will exceed £75 billion, almost half the current NHS budget.
Stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted by a clot in an artery or bleeding, causing the brain to begin to die.
The risk increases with age, but medical conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, often fueled by obesity, can increase the risk.
Insufficient action on stroke prevention will cause cases to increase from 100,000 to 150,000 by 2035, according to an analysis by the Stroke Association
In addition to the increase in new strokes, experts predict that the population of stroke survivors will increase by 62 percent, from 1.3 million to 2.1 million, equivalent to the population of Slovenia.
Last year, only four in ten stroke patients were admitted to specialized stroke care units within four hours, down from 55 percent before the pandemic.
This occurs even though most stroke survivors are left with a disability such as difficulty walking, writing or speaking.
One in four happens to people of working age and more than a third (37 per cent) leave work after a stroke.
This means that by 2035 more than 173,000 stroke survivors will be missing from the workforce.
The current loss of productivity due to stroke is £1.6 billion, a figure that will increase by 136 per cent over the next decade.
The charity is calling for better approaches to stroke prevention, treatment and recovery to be included in party manifestos to reduce its burden on people’s lives, the NHS and the economy.
Juliet Bouverie OBE, chief executive of the Stroke Association, said demand for NHS services will be unsustainable by 2035.
She said: ‘Every stroke is a tragedy, but 151,000 strokes a year, and rising every year, will be a failure of leadership.
“In 2000, stroke was the second leading cause of death in the UK, but by making it a national priority reflected in local resources, stroke mortality was halved in 2010. Therefore, the change it’s possible”.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are committed to improving stroke prevention, treatment and recovery for everyone.”
‘More than 90 per cent of acute stroke care providers in England are equipped with Artificial Intelligence, which can reduce the time it takes to access a treatment such as thrombectomy by more than 60 minutes.
‘The first Long Term Workforce Plan will help move more care into the community and invest more in prevention and early intervention, and we are launching a new digital NHS Health Check that could prevent hundreds more strokes.
“We are also taking steps to encourage better lifestyle choices, including creating a smoke-free generation and reducing salt intake through food to help prevent the risk of stroke.”