ABSTRACT
Age remains one of the most significant risk factors for stroke. As the population continues to age, there will be a greater incidence of stroke and a greater need for stroke rehabilitation. Stroke remains the third leading cause of death in the United States and the most common cause of disability. It is also one of the leading diagnoses requiring inpatient rehabilitation in the older adults. There are multiple risk factors for stroke that also increase with age. In fact, the single most important risk factor for stroke is advanced age. In the elderly, age is also the most significant independent risk factor for stroke-associated mortality in both sexes. Hypertension is the most significant modifiable risk factor for stroke in any age group. Data from 2007 to 2010 suggest that 64.1% of men aged 65–74, 71.7% men aged 75 and over, 69.3% women aged 65–74, and 81.3% women over 75 years of age suffer from hypertension.
