According to the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA),
stroke is reported to be the third leading cause of death
in the United States, as well as a leading cause of serious,
long-term disability. Approximately 600,000 new strokes
are documented annually in the United States, and it has
been estimated that carotid artery disease may be responsible
for 20 to 30 percent. For people over age 55, the incidence
of stroke more than doubles in each successive decade. About
29 percent of people who have an initial stroke die within
a year. This percentage is higher among people age 65 or
older. Among the risk factors for Transient Ischemic Attack
(TIA) or stroke, the most important is a prior TIA or stroke,
either of which carries a tenfold increase in risk
Data for Americans aged 40 or older showed the average
in-hospital and physician costs were $11,010 for a stroke
and $4,940 for TIA in 1995. According to data from HCFA,
$3.7 billion, or about $5,718 per discharge, was paid for
Medicare beneficiaries with stroke in 1995.
