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Abstract
Stroke is a costly disease from human, family and societal perspectives. Starting from human costs, stroke is a leading cause of death and disability. Annually, about 16 million first-ever strokes occur in the world, causing a total of 5.7 million deaths [1]. As a consequence, stroke ranks as the second cause of death in the world population after ischaemic heart disease (the third only if neoplastic diseases are considered as a group).