Are You at Increased Risk of Stroke?
You need to know if your stroke risk is high for two main reasons. First, you can take preventive measures by making choices that will lower your risk. Second, it will increase your vigilance to watch for common stroke symptoms and to get to the hospital right away if you have any symptoms.
“The treatment options we currently have for stroke are all time-sensitive,” says neurology specialist Dr. Natalie Weathered. “We know that the faster you get treatment, the better your outcome, because faster treatment means more neurons—the cells in the brain responsible for transmitting information—are saved. The smaller the amount of brain injury, the fewer disabling symptoms you will have.”
Risk Factors for Stroke
Common risk factors for stroke include:
- Older age
- Smoking tobacco
- Being obese
- Physical inactivity
- High blood pressure
- High total and/or LDL cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm)
“Women who use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to ease menopausal symptoms also have an increased risk of stroke, as well as heart attack,” notes Dr. Weathered. And you are at higher risk of stroke if you have cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, heart disease, or peripheral artery disease.
Lower Your Risks
The good news about these risk factors is that you can modify almost all of them. High blood pressure, and high LDL cholesterol, and diabetes are often treated with medications. To lower your stroke risk, take your medications as prescribed and see your doctor regularly for monitoring; testing is the only way your doctor can tell if your medication is effective. If you have difficulty remembering to take your medication, ask your pharmacist about pill dispensers with timers and alerts that will remind you.
If you take several medications at different times, you may want to get “pill packs” that sort your medications into convenient packages; this service is often free, and your pill packs will be delivered to your home.
Choose a Healthy Lifestyle
You can also reduce your stroke risk by making adjustments to your lifestyle.
“First, if you are a smoker, stop,” says Dr. Weathered. “Tobacco is terrible for your health on many levels. Speak to your physician about getting assistance to help you quit.”
Include physical activity in your schedule most days of the week. You can choose a form of traditional exercise such as walking, bicycling, or swimming, and certain recreational activities and household chores can also be considered exercise. For example, dancing, playing sports, vacuuming, cleaning, yard work, and gardening.
Following a healthy dietary pattern will help lower your stroke risk. Avoid heavily processed foods high in sodium and/or added sugar, such as soft drinks, frozen dinners, canned soups, stews, and pasta, snack foods, and sweets. Limit fatty red meat (beef, pork, lamb, and veal), and avoid processed meats (bacon, sausage, ham, lunch meats).
“There is some evidence that adhering to a Mediterranean-style diet in particular is good for your cardiovascular health,” notes Dr. Weathered. (See What You Can Do on page 4 for more information about the Mediterranean-style diet.)
Another benefit of making healthy lifestyle choices is that your risk of heart attack will decrease, and it will be easier to maintain a healthy weight and keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose under control.
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