Stroke

Prevention

Knowing the risk factors and living healthfully are the best steps to take to prevent a stroke. Although some risk factors for stroke cannot be changed, such as age and gender, others such as high blood pressure and smoking can be altered. Patients and families should seek guidance from their health care providers about lifestyle changes to help prevent another stroke.

The most important stroke prevention strategies are:

Control High Blood Pressure.

Eat a balanced diet, maintain a healthy weight, and exercise to reduce blood pressure. Drugs are also available.

Don't Smoke

Not smoking reduces your risk of stroke. For smokers who quit, 10 years after quitting, the stroke risk is the same as that of a nonsmoker.

Manage Heart Disease

Physicians can treat heart disease and may prescribe medication to help prevent the formation of clots. People over 50 should consult their physicians about aspirin therapy.

Control Diabetes

Both diabetes and high blood pressure can be managed with diet, exercise, weight control and medication. Strict control of blood sugar levels may reduce damage to the brain if a stroke occurs.

Manage Cholesterol

Everyone should know his or her cholesterol level. Even though high cholesterol may be a more important risk factor for heart attack, it also is a stroke risk factor that should be treated.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Being overweight contributes to other risk factors for stroke such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Losing as little as 10 pounds may lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels.

Seek Help for Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs)

TIAs should never be ignored and warn of a high risk of a future stroke. Certain medications, or surgical or balloon angioplasty procedures may lessen the stroke risk.

Exercise Regularly

Aerobic exercise reduces your risk of stroke by lowering blood pressure, increasing the level of HDL cholesterol, and improving the overall health of blood vessels and heart. It also helps with weight reduction and diabetes control, and can reduce stress.

Manage Stress

Stress can cause a temporary spike in blood pressure – a risk factor for brain hemorrhage – or long-lasting hypertension. It can also increase the blood's tendency to clot, which may elevate the risk of ischemic stroke. Exercising and using relaxation techniques are good approaches to stress reduction.