Legal & General paid out just over £9.75m in stroke related critical illness cover claims in 2014.

This equates to 169 claims, which represented 5.6% of all critical illness protection claims in 2014.

Stroke remains the third highest definition paid by Legal & General for yet another year, making this year the third year running.

Legal & General has released these statistics to support this month’s National Stroke Awareness Month. According to the Stroke Association, there are approximately 152,000 strokes every year in the UK. That’s around one stroke every three and a half minutes. Most people affected are over 65, but anyone can have a stroke, including children and even babies.

Mark Holweger, managing director, intermediated at Legal & General, said: “We have seen increased awareness of the dangers of strokes and their warning signs following a number of successful campaigns in recent years. The Stroke Association’s ‘Not Just a Funny Turn’ is one such example that Legal & General was very happy to support in 2014 and we are also very happy to lend our voice to the great work done by those working on National Stroke Awareness Month this May.

“However the fact that stroke accounts for our third most common claim for the third year in a row proves there is still much work to be done, which is why we will continue to support initiatives like those run by The Stroke Association and National Stroke Awareness Month to raise awareness, particularly of the warning signs and mini-strokes (Transient ischaemic attack). It’s important for everyone to do their part and ensure that they’re familiar with the symptoms of a stroke so they can take fast, decisive action to limit the damage caused by the condition.”