Stroke prevention: "It is time to act"
European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium (12 July
2011): Leading national patient organisations, medical and
economic experts presented their initiatives on stroke prevention
to European policymakers today and called for a comprehensive EU
strategy on cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in general, and stroke in
particular with a special attention to risk factors such as atrial
fibrillation (AF). Isabel de la Mata, Special Advisor on Public
Health to Commissioner Dalli, also attended the lunch debate,
co-hosted by Members of the European Parliament (MEP) Cecilia
Wikström and Antigoni Papadopoulou.
Atrial Fibrillation (AF), one of the stroke risk
factors, currently affects 4.5 million people in Europe and this
number is expected to double by 2050 i. This heart
disorder increases the risk of stroke five-fold. Strokes due to AF
tend to be especially severe and disabling ii with half
of patients dying within one year. iii
In the run-up to the World Health Organisation summit iv
on major non communicable diseases and in anticipation of the EU
year of active ageing in 2012, patient organisations and EU
decision makers from all over Europe convened today to address key
challenges and initiatives in stroke prevention and its principal
risk factors.
