May is Stoke Awareness Month. Strokes are the 5th leading cause of disability in America according to the American Stroke Association but they can be prevented and treated once you learn how to control and treat several risk factors.
Up to 80 percent of strokes can be prevented if you don’t smoke, make healthy food choices, stay physical active, maintain a healthy weight and treat conditions such as high blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure.
- High blood pressure is the single most important risk factor for stroke because it’s the leading cause of stroke. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80. If you’ve been told you have high blood pressure, work with your doctor to reduce it.
- Irregular heartbeat—known as atrial fibrillation or AFib—causes your heart’s upper chambers to quiver, rather than beating in an organized, rhythmic way, and this increases your risk of stroke by five times. The fluttering in your heart may cause blood to pool and clot, and those clots can travel to your brain. Managing AFib is key to reducing your stroke risk.
- Diabetes more than doubles the risk of stroke. Every two minutes, an adult with diabetes in the U.S. is hospitalized for stroke. If you have diabetes, work with your doctor to manage it and reduce your risk.
- High cholesterol increases the risk of blocked arteries. If an artery leading to the brain becomes blocked or throws a clot, a stroke can occur. If you have high blood cholesterol, work with your doctor to get it under control.
- Smoking damages blood vessels, leading to blockages and stroke. Don’t smoke and avoid second-hand smoke.
Some risk factors are not preventable or worsen with age. The likelihood of having a stroke increases with age for both males and females. Although stroke is more common among the elderly, people under 65 also have strokes.
Family history also plays a big role in stroke susceptibility. If a parent, grandparent, sister or brother has had a stroke — especially before reaching age 65 — you may be at greater risk. Sometimes strokes are caused by genetic disorders like CADASIL, which can block blood flow in the brain.
Your race can also have an impact. African Americans have a much higher risk of death from a stroke than Caucasians do. This is partly due to higher risks of high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.
Gender makes a difference as well. Women have more strokes than men and strokes kill more women than men. Women tend to live longer than men and are older when they have a stroke.
Your medical history can predict the possibility for future strokes. A person who has had a prior stroke has a much higher risk of having another stroke than a person who has never had one. A person who’s had one or more transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) is almost 10 times more likely to have a stroke than someone of the same age and sex who hasn’t. If you’ve had a heart attack, you’re at higher risk of having a stroke. A heart attack is caused by plaque buildup that blocks blood vessels to the heart. Similarly, most strokes are caused by a buildup of plaque that cause blockages in the brain.
For more information about Stroke warning signs, prevention, and recover, visit the American Stroke Association.