Elena López-Cancio

The Neurology Commission of the New World Stroke Organization and The Lancet has estimated that stroke deaths will increase from 6.6 million in 2020 to 9.7 million in 2050, with a widening gap between low- and middle-income and high-income countries. The economic analysis indicates that the treatment, rehabilitation and indirect costs of stroke would double from $891 billion in 2020 to as much as $2.3 trillion in 2050.

Chronic exposure to various air pollutants has been linked to an increased risk of stroke, but the short-term effects have been less well studied. A review of 110 papers and more than 18 million stroke cases shows that recent exposure - in the five days prior to stroke - also increases the likelihood of stroke. The results are published in the journal Neurology.