Introduction
Stroke is defined as an acute neurological deficit of cerebrovascular origin lasting longer than 24 hours. In the UK each year, stroke affects approximately 100,000 people, is a leading cause of mortality, causing over 30,000 deaths in 2020, and is a significant contributor to severe disability.1 Caring for patients with stroke in the UK costs approximately £2.5 million each year and leads to significant production losses. Clearly, preventing stroke has many benefits.
Strokes can be ischaemic (85%), where tissue damage is due to occlusion of blood supply, or haemorrhagic (15%), due to a ruptured vessel.2 Ischaemic stroke can be