To prevent a stroke, it’s important to understand what increases your risk of stroke.
Your age: As you get older your blood vessels harden and become less elastic which puts you at increased risk of stroke and heart disease. Three-quarters of strokes occur in people aged 65 years and older.
Your gender: Stroke is more common in men under 75 years of age than in women of the same age. However, in those over 75 years of age more women than men have strokes.
Your family history: You are more at risk of having a stroke if one or more of your parents, grandparents, sisters or brothers has had a stroke.
Your ethnicity: People of African, Asian and African-Caribbean have a higher risk of having high blood pressure and diabetes which can cause stroke.
High blood pressure (Hypertension): High blood pressure or hypertension is the leading cause of stroke. High blood pressure can cause blood clots in the brain which can cause stroke. It can also damage blood vessels in the brain causing bleeding in the brain. This can result in stroke, too.
High cholesterol: Cholesterol is a type of fat found in your blood. There are two main types of cholesterol – HDL or good cholesterol and LDL or bad cholesterol. Bad cholesterol sticks to the walls in your arteries making them narrow. If an artery to the brain is so narrow that it blocks the flow of oxygen to your brain, it can cause a stroke. Good cholesterol mops up the bad cholesterol left behind in your arteries and carries it to the liver where it is broken down.
Smoking: Smoking doubles your risk of stroke. Smoking causes your blood vessels to narrow and makes your blood more likely to clot. Fatty deposits build up faster in the blood vessels of smokers compared to non-smokers. Second-hand smoke also increases your risk of stroke. Five years after you stop smoking your risk of a stroke is similar to that of a non-smoker.
Poor diet: A diet high in salt increases your risk of developing high blood pressure. Eating foods high in saturated fats (butter, hard margarine, lard, cream, fatty meat, cakes, biscuits and chocolates) can raise your cholesterol levels. Too many extra calories in your diet can lead to weight gain, obesity, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes mellitus, which can all cause stroke.
Alcohol: Drinking too much alcohol raises your blood pressure and can cause damage to your liver and heart.
Not being active: Not being active on a regular basis increases your risk of stroke.
Other medical conditions like diabetes and atrial fibrillation can also increase your risk of stroke.
If you’ve had a stroke before, your risk of having another stroke goes down over time. You can reduce the risk of having another stroke by controlling the major risk factors of stroke.
