Stroke is an acute onset of neurological dysfunction due toan 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].