Stroke

Last Reviewed: February 2026

General Information

An introduction to stroke can be found on the NHS web site.

In everyday life, however, I find that data is more useful than theory. Using UK numbers from 2023:

  • Strokes used to be a killer, but now 90% of people survive them.
  • However, of those survivors, 2/3 are left with some form of disability.
  • In the UK (pop about 70M), there are around 100,000 strokes each year.
  • Also in the UK (pop about 70M), about 1.3M people have suffered a stroke at some time.
  • There are lots of us!

Aside from physical disability, a typical effect associated with a stroke is called aphasia. The act of communication is split into seven discrete processes, daisy-chained together. Aphasia is a problem with any of them, and can result in that chain breaking. It can make people appear “locked in”, although totally cognisant.

Because such a high number of people aere left disabled following a stroke, the Disability Rights charity is often a good port of call.

How I was affected personally

This is quite a big topic and I have written several posts on the subject: