What is stroke?
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain breaks or becomes blocked by a clot. At this point, part of the brain cannot receive the necessary oxygen and blood, resulting in cell death.
The severity of stroke can vary, depending on the location and extent.
Factors of interest
In Spain, it is estimated that a stroke occurs every six minutes, being responsible for one in every ten deaths in our country. Furthermore, 21% of people over the age of sixty are at high risk of suffering a stroke in the next decade.
Other data of interest on stroke:
- 120,000 cases of stroke are detected annually in Spain.
- 40,000 deaths per year in Spain.
- 650,000 deaths per year in Europe.
- First cause of mortality among women.
- In 15 years, it is estimated that there will be a 30% increase in the number of stroke cases.
The work of the Institut Guttmann
At the center they are working on a four-year collaborative project in PRECISE4Q, where they will address, through computerized predictive models, the four main phases of stroke:
- Prevention.
- Acute phase treatment.
- Rehabilitation treatment.
- Social reintegration.
Using data from multiple sources, clinical, physiological, genetic and biochemical information will be collected, as well as medical images. These data will be subjected to standardization and analysis, to be used to design, train and test predictive computer models.
Once the predictive capacity has been validated with real clinical data, the models will be integrated into a digital information platform, which will support clinical decision-making and guide professionals. In addition, it will also be used in the development of EUROPE-Stroke, an open research platform that will help both data aggregation, integration and analysis.
Dr. Montserrat Bernabeu leads the project for the Institut Guttmann, with the help of professionals from different departments (Psychology, Nursing, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, etc.). The project serves to highlight the importance of stroke, both for survival and prevention, as well as to collaborate in the subsequent social reintegration in order to offer the best possible quality of life.