Risk
Factors for Stroke
Evaluating
the risk for stroke is based on heredity, natural
processes, and lifestyle. Many risk factors for
stroke can be changed or managed, while others
that relate to hereditary or natural processes
cannot be changed.
| Risk
factors for stroke that can be changed,
treated, or medically managed: |
- high blood
pressure
The most important controllable risk
factor for brain attack is controlling
high blood pressure.
- diabetes
mellitus
Diabetes is treatable, but having it
increases the risk for stroke.
- heart disease
Heart disease is the second most important
risk factor for stroke, and the major
cause of death among survivors of stroke.
- cigarette
smoking
The use of oral contraceptives, especially
when combined with cigarette smoking,
greatly increases stroke risk.
- history of
transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)
A person who has had one (or more) TIA
is almost 10 times more likely to have
a stroke than someone of the same age
and sex who has not had a TIA.
- high red blood
cell count
A moderate increase in the number of
red blood cells thickens the blood and
makes clots more likely, thus increasing
the risk for stroke.
- high blood
cholesterol and lipids
High blood cholesterol and lipids increase
the risk for stroke.
- lack of exercise,
physical inactivity
Lack of exercise and physical inactivity
increases the risk for stroke.
- obesity
Excess weight increases the risk for
stroke.
- excessive
alcohol use
More than two drinks per day raises
blood pressure, and binge drinking can
lead to stroke.
- drug abuse
(certain kinds)
Intravenous drug abuse carries a high
risk of stroke from cerebral embolisms
(blood clots). Cocaine use has been
closely related to strokes, heart attacks,
and a variety of other cardiovascular
complications. Some of them, even among
first-time cocaine users, have been
fatal
- abnormal heart
rhythm
Various cardiac diseases have been shown
to increase the risk of stroke. Atrial
fibrillation is the most powerful and
treatable cardiac precursor of stroke.
- cardiac structural
abnormalities
New evidence shows that cardiac structure
abnormalities including patent foramen
ovale and atrial septal defect increase
risk for embolic stroke.
|
|
Risk factors for
stroke that cannot be changed: |
- age
For each decade of life after age 55,
the chance of having a stroke more than
doubles.
- race
African-Americans have a much higher
risk of death and disability from a
stroke than Caucasians, in part because
the African-American population has
a greater incidence of high blood pressure.
- diabetes
Diabetes is strongly linked with high
blood pressure and, although diabetes
is a treatable condition, increases
a person's risk for stroke.
- history of
prior stroke
The risk of stroke for someone who has
already had one is many times that of
a person who has not had a stroke.
- heredity/genetics
The chance of stroke is greater in people
who have a family history of stroke.
|
|
Other risk factors
of stroke to consider: |
- where a person
lives
Strokes are more common among people
living in the southeastern United States
than in other areas. This may be due
to regional differences in lifestyle,
race, cigarette smoking, and diet.
- temperature,
season, and climate
Stroke deaths occur more often during
periods of extreme temperatures.
- socioeconomic
factors
There is some evidence that strokes
are more common among low-income people
than among more affluent people.
|
A recent
study, which included two decades of following
nearly 10,000 American adults, found that people
with daily diets that included at least 300 micrograms
of folic acid, a B vitamin, cut their risk of
stroke by 20 percent, compared with people who
ate less than 136 micrograms of folic acid a day.
The reduced risk of stroke was associated with
higher intake of folic acid among both men and
women, regardless of physical activity levels
and smoking habits.
Some
studies have demonstrated that folic acid lowers
levels of homocysteine in the blood. Homocysteine
is an amino acid that has been linked to a higher
risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries
that can lead to stroke and heart attack).
Foods
that contain folic acid include:
- citrus fruits
- tomatoes
- leafy vegetables
- beans
- grain products
Wheat
flour has been fortified with folic acid since
1998, by order of the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), to reduce the increased risk of birth defects
associated with low-folic acid diets. Always consult
your physician for more information.
Click
here to view the Online
Resources of Cardiovascular Disease
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