Strokes are third biggest killer

Strokes are the UK's third biggest killer, costing the NHS and social services £2.3 billion each year.

Ischemic strokes, the most common, are caused by blood clots that flow to the brain and cut off its oxygen supply

Clot-busting drugs given soon after a stroke can dissolve the blockage; a daily aspirin then reduces the risk of another one.

Strokes are twice as common in women and it is a myth that they only affect the elderly.

Between one third and half of all stroke victims die in the first month after the attack. Of those who recover, one third return to a fully independent life, one third recover their mobility but have some disability, and one third have a severe disability.

About 40 per cent of patients have their second stroke within five years of the first.