Preventing stroke

Regular checkups, exercise, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle – including knowing and managing risk factors – can help prevent or limit the damage of a stroke. To prevent or limit the damage of stroke, call 911 if you see symptoms of stroke.

Symptoms of stroke start suddenly and include:

• Confusion or difficulty understanding others and difficulty speaking
• Dizziness
• Severe headache
• Trouble walking, loss of balance or coordination
• Vision problems in one or both eyes
• Weakness or numbness in your face, arm or leg, often on just one side

Risk factors for stroke include:

• High blood pressure (diastolic blood pressure > 90)
• Age; stroke risk rises after age 65
• Diabetes
• Family history of stroke
• Gender; men have a higher incidence of stroke
• Prior stroke or TIA
• Race; African-Americans have a higher incidence of stroke
• Smoking
• Vascular disease, especially carotid bruit (narrowing of artery carrying blood to the brain)

Stroke is a symptom of vascular or blood vessel disease. Most strokes are caused by blood clots blocking an artery.  A blood clot can come from another part of the body, or can be caused by a smaller clot in an artery narrowed down from plaque build-up.

Things you must do to lower your risk for stroke:

• Monitor blood pressure regularly and treat high blood pressure
• Exercise
• If you are diabetic, control blood glucose levels
• If you smoke, quit
• Manage cholesterol levels
• Manage weight