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What are Stroke Risk Factors? |
Stroke
prevention is still the best medicine. The most important treatable
conditions linked to stroke are:
- Treating high blood pressure.
Eating a
balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising to
reduce blood pressure. Drugs are also available.
- Quitting cigarette smoking. Medical
help is available to help quit.
- Manage heart disease. Your
doctor can treat your heart disease and may prescribe medication
to help
prevent the formation of clots. If you are over 50, NINDS scientists
believe you and your doctor should make a decision about aspirin
therapy.
- Control diabetes. Treatment
can delay complications that increase the risk of stroke.
- Seeking help and treatment for Transient ischemic attacks
(TIAs). TIAs
are small strokes that last only for a few minutes or hours. They
should never be ignored and can be treated with drugs or surgery.
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Risk factors you cannot change include:
- Age. The risk for stroke increases with age, doubling
every decade after age 55. At least 66% of all people who have a
stroke
are age 65 or older.
- Race. African-Americans and Hispanics have a higher risk
of stroke than those of other races. Compared with whites, young
African-Americans are two to three times at risk of having an ischemic
stroke, and African-American men and women are more likely to die
from stroke.
- Gender. Stroke is more common in men than women until
age 75. After age 75, more women than men have strokes. At all
ages, more women than men die of stroke.
- Family history. The risk for stroke is greater if a parent,
brother or sister has had a stroke or transient ischemic attack
(TIA). For
more information, see the topic Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA).
- History of stroke or TIA.
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