Preventing stroke . . . and other stories

How much stroke is preventable?Stroke is a leading cause of death, and many of its risk factors are potentially modifiable. How many strokes would be prevented if everyone stopped smoking, ate well, took sensible amounts of physical exercise, lost weight, and had their hypertension, diabetes, and atrial fibrillation properly treated? A calculation from the US using data from national surveys reckons that about a third of strokes can be attributable to these seven risk factors (Am J Epidemiol doi:10.1093/aje/kwae132). Obesity and hypertension were the biggest culprits.Diabetic polyneuropathy and blood lipid levelsA large longitudinal study from Denmark reports that the risk that someone with diabetes will develop peripheral neuropathy is influenced by their plasma lipid levels (Neurology doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000209538). The likelihood is greatest in people with high levels of triglycerides, although associations with HDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol concentrations are also present. There are already good reasons to treat raised lipid levels…
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