Stroke Risk Factors
Stroke Risk Factors
Excerpted from Comfort of Home for StrokeTM
Stroke risk factors
Risk factors are traits and lifestyle habits that increase the chance of disease. A lot of studies have identified several factors that increase the risk of stroke. There are two groups of stroke risk factors—
those that you can change, control, or treat those that can’t be changed.
The more risk factors, the greater the chance of having a stroke. The best way to prevent a stroke is to reduce the stroke risk factors. A doctor can help you change factors that result from lifestyle or environment.
Controllable stroke risk factors: habits to change
When lifestyle changes don’t reduce the risk factor enough, get medical help to control it.
Smoking. Cigarette smoking is a major, preventable risk factor for stroke. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke reduce the oxygen in a person’s blood. They also damage the walls of blood vessels and make clots more likely to form. Some kinds of birth control pills combined with smoking greatly increase stroke risk in women. If you or your survivor smoke, get help to quit NOW!
NOTE: The relative risk of stroke in heavy smokers (more than 40 cigarettes a day) is twice that of people who smoke fewer than 10 cigarettes a day. Stroke risk decreases significantly after two years of not smoking and is at the level of non-smokers within five years of quitting.
Physical inactivity and obesity. Inactivity and obesity both can increase the risk of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Depending on his deficits, exercise may be difficult for your survivor, nonetheless, it is very important. Find a way he can be active.
Excessive alcohol. Women who drink on average more than one alcoholic drink a day or men who drink more than two drinks a day can raise blood pressure and may increase their stroke risk.
Some illegal drugs. Intravenous drug abuse carries a high risk of stroke. Cocaine use has also been linked to strokes and heart attacks.
Controllable stroke risk factors: disorders and diseases
High blood pressure. High blood pressure (140/90 mm Hg or higher) is the most important risk factor for stroke. It usually has no specific symptoms and no early warning signs. Get your survivor’s and your blood pressure checked regularly.
NOTE: Use a blood pressure cuff to monitor blood pressure at home. It’s simple to use and gives a much better picture of your survivor’s blood pressure situation than irregular trips to the doctor.Two-thirds of those who have first strokes have blood pressure higher than 160/95. Those with these numbers have four times the risk of stroke as someone with normal blood pressure.
Diabetes. Diabetes is defined as a fasting (tested on an empty stomach) blood sugar level of 126 mg/dL or more measured on two occasions. Even when diabetes is treated, having it still increases stroke risk. Many people with diabetes also have high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and are overweight, increasing their risk even more. If you or your survivor have diabetes, work closely with your doctor to manage it.
Carotid or other artery disease. The carotid arteries in your neck supply blood to your brain. If these arteries become narrowed by fatty deposits (called “plaque”) from atherosclerosis, they may become blocked by a blood clot. PAD (peripheral artery disease) is the narrowing of blood vessels carrying blood to leg and arm muscles. People with PAD have a higher risk of carotid artery disease and an increased risk of stroke.
NOTE: Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) is the process in which deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium, and other substances build up in the inner lining of an artery. This buildup is called “plaque.”
Everybody has atherosclerosis, even young children. The only variable (difference) is how much atherosclerosis a person has. It starts in the aorta (main arterial trunk that carries blood from the heart to the arteries for distribution throughout the body) and progressively narrows arteries and makes them less flexible, decreasing blood flow, and increasing blood pressure.
Atrial fibrillation (a-fib). This is a heart rhythm disorder where the heart’s upper chambers (atria) quiver instead of contracting effectively. Because of this, blood can pool and form clots. If a clot enters the bloodstream and lodges in an artery leading to or in the brain, a stroke results.
Other heart disease. People with coronary heart disease or heart failure have a higher risk of stroke than those with hearts that work normally. An enlarged heart, heart valve disease, and some types of congenital heart defects also increase stroke risk.
“TIAs” (transient ischemic attacks). TIAs are “mini- strokes” caused by blood vessel blockage that becomes unclogged on its
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