The statistics have shown that around 500 strokes and 180 deaths in Scotland and 5,000 strokes and 2,000 deaths in the UK are recorded every year. Acting to the gravity of the situation, medical experts recommend introducing National Screening Programmes urgently for those aged above 65. These programmes will in turn help decline the number of deaths reported every year due to stroke.

Stroke, also known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), is the rapid loss of brain function(s) after the blood supply to the brain is disrupted. This can be due to lack of blood flow caused by blockage or a hemorrhage (leakage of blood). As a result, the affected area of the brain cannot function, which might result in an inability to move one or more limbs on one side of the body, inability to understand or formulate speech.

However, the major reason concluded for the cause of stroke is stated to be Atrial Fibrillation (AF), the most common irregular heart beat. It may cause no symptoms, but it is often associated with palpitations, fainting, chest pain, or congestive heart failure. AF increases the degree of stroke risk up to seven times that of the average population.

A meeting of 120 stoke specialists was held at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburg to improve the methods of diagnosis and treatment for AF. Experts recommended that identification can be carried out clinically when taking a pulse and the presence of AF can be confirmed with an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). Further, more blood thinning drugs can be used for the treatment, as they either slow the heart rate to a normal range or revert the heart rhythm back to normal

Dr. Scott Ramsay, Consultant in Stroke Medicine, said: "The goal of treating atrial fibrillation is primarily to reduce the current unacceptable levels of avoidable stroke and the disability and premature death it causes. This is an issue of national significance”.

At present, the major emphasis is being made on the introduction of screening programmes.