Irish people who suffer a stroke have worse outcomes than stroke patients in 11 other countries in Europe and North America, new research has found.
The research found that stroke sufferers in the Republic are 21 per cent more likely to be dead within six months than stroke sufferers in Germany.
It also established Irish patients had the lowest level of access to specialist care after strokes.
The study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, found that 21 per cent of stroke patients sampled in the Republic died within 180 days of suffering a stroke, whereas in Germany all survived the first six months.
In Finland, 4 per cent died, and in Canada the figure was 10 per cent. The average across all countries sampled was 15 per cent.
In addition, 67 per cent of stroke sufferers in the Republic were either dead or dependent after six months, compared to 44 per cent in Germany and an average of 56 per cent across all countries studied.
The countries with which the Republic was compared in the study were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK.
The Republic was also found to have the longest hospital inpatient stays for stroke patients, at 39 days. In Denmark and Finland, it was 11 days. The average across the 12 countries studied was 16 days.
Prof Des O'Neill, chairman of the the Irish Heart Foundation's council on stroke, said the study highlighted the lack of dedicated stroke-care facilities in the Republic.
The study has been highlighted in advance of Happy Heart Weekend, the Irish Heart Foundation's biggest fundraising event of the year, which begins today. It involves 1,000 volunteers selling hearts for €2 each to raise money to improve stroke services.