Progress in Diagnosis and Treatment: The Last 50 Years of Stroke Prevention

Stroke is a major global health issue. However, up to 85% of strokes may be preventable. Following an integrated conceptual timeline, we briefly report historical notes on the birth of and advancements in research on the pathophysiology and treatments of the major risk factors associated with ischemic stroke. We finally focused on the last 50 years, representing a landmark in the progress of stroke medicine. We reviewed and reported the results of the significant trials on the main stroke risk factors. The design and the results of large-scale epidemiological studies have clarified many of the underlying mechanisms of stroke pathophysiology, which has led to impressive developments in treating diseases that were considered untreatable for centuries. Although stroke is a largely preventable disease, there are still many issues faced when implementing strategies to reduce the global burden of the disease, both in terms of primary and secondary prevention.