World Stroke Day -held on 29 October- aims to raise awareness of stroke that remains a significant global health concern, ranking as a leading cause of both mortality and serious disability. It accounts for over 12 million new cases and 6.5 million deaths annually worldwide. According to the 2022 Global Stroke Factsheet, the lifetime risk of having a stroke has increased by 50% over the past 17 years, with an estimated 1 in 4 people likely to experience a stroke in their lifetime.

90% of strokes could be prevented yet stroke remains a silent epidemic that desperately needs a louder voice.

This year, World Stroke Day’s theme is “Every Minute Counts” campaign with messaging focused on helping people everywhere to recognize the signs of stroke and the urgent need to ACT FAST.

Effective prevention and health management strategies are key to provide accessible care to all and reduce the burden of strokes across Europe.

What Can be done?

• People have to be educated about stroke, its symptoms, risk factors and recognising the signs;
• Prevention in the focus: awareness raising campaigns should include promoting healthy lifestyle choices to help reduce the risk of stroke, such as healthy eating, physical activity and regular medical check-ups;
• We cannot emphasise enough the significance of timely treatment: timely medical intervention is critical to minimise the long-term effects of stroke.

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel carrying nutrients and oxygen to the brain is either ruptured or blocked by a blood clot. Stroke and dementia have a strong relationship, as a stroke can cause dementia by damaging brain cells that control memory and thinking, with a significantly increased risk of dementia in the first year after a stroke.

This dementia, known as vascular dementia, can also result from multiple small "silent" strokes” or small vessel disease that gradually damages the brain. Risk factors for both stroke and dementia are:

• high blood pressure
• diabetes
• atrial fibrillation
• high cholesterol
• physical inactivity

Having a stroke more than doubles the risk of developing dementia. Some strokes aren’t so obvious: Covert strokes have no physical or functional signs — they block the brain ‘s pathways and then dementia symptoms may start. The risk of developing dementia after a stroke increases with age. Prevention goes a long way: Research shows that controlling modifiable risk factors can reduce dementia by 50%.

Learn more about stroke :

World Stroke Day 2025 Every Minute Counts - World Stroke Organization

Stroke and dementia - Heart & Stroke