New data has revealed the number of New South Wales residents having strokes has exceeded the national figure and is in the top three highest in Australia.
Stroke Foundation's recently released Economic Impact of Stroke report found that in 2023, New South Wales's per population rate of stroke is 181 per 100,000 residents, compared to the national average of 176 per 100,000 residents.
New South Wales is ahead of Victoria and Queensland, where 174 per 100,000 and 171 per 100,000 residents experienced a stroke, respectively.
Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Dr Lisa Murphy, says there are many factors that contribute to this number.
"The population is growing and ageing, and people are living longer, less heathy lives. Our physical and social environments are influencing our health, putting people at increased risk of stroke at a younger age. At the same time there is a clear lack of community knowledge of stroke risk factors and signs."
There are currently 140,758 people living with stroke in New South Wales and the report estimates the cost of stroke on the state's economy to be $5 billion over a lifetime, equating to $354,000 per person.
These costs are associated with health care, hospital costs, home care, road ambulance, personal and carer costs and lost income.
"Stroke is a huge cost to the New South Wales economy but it can be reduced through initiatives that lead to efficient treatment, improved hospital care, better post-discharge care and education around prevention," Dr Murphy said.
Among those initiatives is the 30/60/90 National Stroke Targets. The initiative is designed to deliver timely, world-leading stroke care to Australian patients by improving stroke unit access and time-critical endovascular stroke treatments in specific time frames. It's estimated if these targets are met, the cost savings are $8 million over a lifetime after stroke.
"Australian stroke patients deserve better to improve their chance of survival and reduce their risk of disability after stroke. We know that fast access to expert treatment leads to improved outcomes and that's exactly what the National Stroke Targets aims to achieve," Dr Murphy said.
"We're pleased the New South Wales Government has endorsed the targets. Aligning on National Stroke Targets is the first step in a collaborative effort to support hospitals, stroke teams and Australian states to provide best-practice, time critical stroke care for their patients."
Stroke Foundation is also calling for urgent funding from the NSW Government to raise awareness of the F.A.S.T signs of stroke which is critical to getting people to call 000 as soon as the signs of a stroke appear and ensures they receive critical treatment quickly.
