Patient education: Lowering the risk of having a stroke (The Basics)

Who is at risk for having a stroke? — Certain things affect a person's risk of stroke. These are called "risk factors."

Some of these things are not under your control. For example, you are at increased risk if you:

●Are older

●Are Black

●Have a parent or sibling who has had a stroke

●Have had a stroke or heart attack before

Certain health problems and behaviors also increase your risk of stroke. These include:

●High cholesterol

●High blood pressure

●Diabetes

●Smoking

●Sedentary lifestyle

●Drinking a lot of alcohol

●Misusing drugs

If you have risk factors for stroke, it's important to know this so you can try to lower your risk. Ways to do this are discussed more below.

How can I lower my risk of stroke? — Anyone can make healthy lifestyle changes to help lower their risk of stroke.

For people who have had a stroke before, doctors also recommend medicines. If your doctor prescribes medicines, it's still important to make healthy lifestyle changes, too.

Lifestyle changes — Lifestyle changes can do a lot to lower your risk of stroke. That's partly because the right lifestyle choices can help control risk factors such as blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol. Also, the lifestyle changes that help lower your risk of stroke can also help prevent lots of other health problems.

The most important lifestyle changes:

●Stop smoking, if you smoke.

●Get regular exercise (if your doctor says that it's safe) for at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week.

●Lose weight, if you are overweight. Your doctor or nurse can help you do this in a healthy way.

●Eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Some experts recommend a "Mediterranean diet." This involves eating a lot of fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and olive oil. It also includes some fish, poultry, and dairy products, but not a lot of red meat.

●Eat less salt (sodium).

●Limit the amount of alcohol that you drink:

•For females, do not drink more than 1 drink a day.

•For males, do not drink more than 1 to 2 drinks a day.

Medicines — Medicines can help lower the risk of stroke in people who have had a stroke before.

An "ischemic" stroke happens when an artery in the brain gets clogged or blocked. As a result, part of the brain does not get enough blood. A transient ischemic attack, or "TIA," is similar, but it does not damage the brain, because the artery reopens on its own.

If you have had a stroke or TIA, your doctor will prescribe medicines to lower your risk of having another stroke. Some medicines work by lowering your blood pressure, blood sugar, or cholesterol. Others help by keeping blood clots from forming. (Blood clots cause many strokes.)

Medicines that are especially important in preventing strokes include:

●Medicines to lower blood pressure

●Medicines to lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol, such as statins

●Medicines to prevent blood clots, such as aspirin or blood thinners

●Medicines that help keep your blood sugar as close to normal as possible (if you have diabetes)

Whatever medicines your doctor prescribes, make sure that you take them every day as directed (table 1). If you cannot afford your medicines or if they cause side effects, talk to your doctor or nurse. There are often ways to deal with these problems.

Help with quitting smoking — If you smoke, ask your doctor or nurse about how to quit. There are strategies and medicines that can improve your chances of success. Studies show that people are most successful at quitting if they take medicines to help them quit and work with a counselor. You might also have a better chance of success if you combine nicotine replacement with one of the prescription medicines that help people quit.

You can also get help from a free phone line (1-800-QUIT-NOW, or 1-800-784-8669) or online at www.smokefree.gov.

More on this topic

Patient education: Stroke (The Basics)
Patient education: Controlling your blood pressure through lifestyle (The Basics)
Patient education: Quitting smoking (The Basics)
Patient education: Low-sodium diet (The Basics)
Patient education: Type 2 diabetes (The Basics)
Patient education: Exercise and movement (The Basics)
Patient education: Medicines after an ischemic stroke (The Basics)
Patient education: Medicines for high blood pressure (The Basics)
Patient education: Coping with high drug prices (The Basics)
Patient education: Stroke rehabilitation exercises (The Basics)
Patient education: Taking care of someone after a stroke (The Basics)
Patient education: Mediterranean diet (The Basics)

Patient education: Ischemic stroke treatment (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: High cholesterol and lipids (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Aspirin in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: High blood pressure treatment in adults (Beyond the Basics)