Strokes among working-age people ‘becoming more common’

A new study from the Stroke Association has highlighted a pronounced increase in the number of working-age people experiencing a stroke in the last 15 years.

Analysis of hospital admission data by the charity showed that in 2000 there were more than 4,260 hospital admissions for stroke among men aged between 40 and 54 in England, before rising by 46 percent to 6,221 in 2014.

In the same period, the figure for women jumped by 30 percent from 3,529 in 2000 to 4,604 in 2014. This change is attributed in part to alterations in hospital admission practice, but is also due to the growing prevalence of sedentary and unhealthy lifestyles.

Overall, stroke costs the UK economy around nine billion pounds a year, a figure that will rise as more people experience the condition, meaning they require care, as well as struggling to subsequently re-enter the workforce.

Jon Barrick, chief executive of the Stroke Association, said: "These figures show that stroke can no longer be seen as a disease of older people. There is an alarming increase in the numbers of people having a stroke in working age."

Every year, around 110,000 people have a stroke in England, making it the third largest cause of death in the country.