Medicus, Vol. 31 No. 1 Moždani udar, 2022.
Review article
Stroke – Will it be the Next Pandemic?
Verica Kralj
Petra Čukelj
Abstract
SUMMARYStroke is the second leading cause of death, both globally and in Croatia. During the last few decades, and as a result of improvements in prevention, diagnosis and treatment, developed nations reported a significant reduction in stroke mortality. A similar trend is also visible in Croatia in the last 15 years. Due to improvements in health care and subsequent survival of stroke patients, prevalence of stroke survivors is increasing. In the beginning of 2020, the world was faced with a COVID-19 pandemic, a disease caused by SARS CoV-2 virus. It quickly became the focus of the global health and science community, but also the public as a whole. The pandemic impacted all segments of society, particularly health systems, due to reorganization and funds allocation necessary to contain COVID-19. Research has shown that elderly people and patients with chronic conditions have an increased risk of severe illness and death due to COVID-19, but also that COVID-19 infection may increase the risk of stroke. Despite the increase of risk factors, many countries report a decrease in the number of patients treated for stroke, which can result in long term complications, disability, and an increase in stroke mortality. Estimates from studies conducted before the pandemic predicted an increase in stroke burden for the majority of countries over the next 30 years. This, combined with the adverse effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, will likely result in stroke being a disease with an enormous public health impact in the 21st century. We know that the majority of stroke cases can be prevented, pointing to the need for a comprehensive strategy for control of this disease. This needs to include prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, healthcare organization, and epidemiological monitoring with epidemiological and healthcare quality indicators.
Keywords
epidemic; stroke; incidence; prevalence; mortality rates; COVID-19; prevention
Hrčak ID:
275909
URI
Publication date:
2.5.2022.
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