Stroke is an acute onset of neurological dysfunction due to an abnormality in cerebral circulation with resultant signs and symptoms that correspond to the involvement of focal
areas of the brain [1].
To be classified as stroke, focal
neurological deficits must persist for at least 24 hours [1].
Clinically, there is a variety of deficits, with the severity of
neurological deficits varying from individual to individual
depending on the location and extent of lesion [2]. In
different parts of India, several population-based surveys
on stroke were conducted. During the past decade, the ageadjusted
prevalence rate of stroke was 250e350/100,000.
Stroke represents 1.2% of the total mortality in India [3].