Population-based approaches for reducing stroke risk: an update on their success and the challenges ahead

Taylor R. Anderson*, Kasim Qureshi, Muhammad U. Farooq, Philip B. Gorelick

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Introduction: Stroke is a significant public health challenge as it is the second most common cause of death and the third leading cause of disability globally. Additionally, stroke incidence and the number of stroke deaths have been rising. Efforts to prevent stroke have been made, including high-risk approaches where patients are screened for cardiovascular risk factors, and population-based approaches which attempt to reduce stroke rates by improving overall population health. Areas covered: We summarize studies of population-based approaches to stroke prevention involving greater than 1,000 participants identified on a PubMed database search. Based on these programs, challenges of population-based stroke prevention programs are discussed and potential keys to success are highlighted. Expert opinion: Population-based stroke prevention programs face challenges including cost and interest of the public and certain stakeholders. Additionally, secular trends for improvement in risk factors and catastrophic adverse environmental circumstances add to the complexity of analyzing program success. Factors leading to successful programs include validated digital solutions for self-monitoring of risks, backing by global policy and legislation, flexibility to the needs of the population, intersectoral programs, community engagement, information dissemination back to the populations, and high-risk screening to develop a complementary combination approach to stroke prevention.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)313-324
Number of pages12
JournalExpert review of cardiovascular therapy
Volume22
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

Keywords

  • Cardiovascular disease
  • community-wide
  • population-based
  • public health
  • stroke prevention

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Internal Medicine
  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Population-based approaches for reducing stroke risk: an update on their success and the challenges ahead'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this