Monthly Health Articles Archive

Are you at risk for stroke?

By Dr. Michael Lampe, KRHC family physician

Symptoms of a stroke may come on suddenly and last only a few minutes, but the long-term effects can be quite serious. Behind heart disease and cancer, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and is the leading cause of serious long-term disability. One of the common myths about stroke is that it can’t be prevented. There are several risk factors involved with strokes, and some of them are under your control.

First, know your numbers. Make an effort to find out what your blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index are. If the numbers are too high – start working on them! High blood pressure is the most important risk factor for stroke. Anything above 140/90 is considered to be high. High blood pressure is difficult to catch without regular testing, since there are no early warning signs or specific symptoms. Having high blood pressure forces your heart to work harder and contributes to the hardening of the arteries, both of which lead to a high risk of stroke. High cholesterol is a major risk for heart disease, which also increases your risk of stroke.

Second, maintain a healthy lifestyle. Obesity, physical activity and diet are all linked to stroke through various paths. If you are overweight, you are at a higher risk for heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes – all three are risk factors for stroke. Regular exercise is a benefit to your overall health in addition to decreasing your risk of stroke by decreasing your risk of heart disease. Eating a healthy diet, including at least five servings of fruit and vegetables per day, is associated with a 30 percent lower risk of stroke in otherwise healthy men and women. Diabetics have an increased risk of stroke. If you have diabetes, it’s even more important to monitor your diet and exercise to help manage your condition.

Finally, don’t smoke and avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. Smoking is one of the main preventable risk factors for stroke. For women, the combination of certain types of birth control pills with smoking greatly increases your risk. Besides damaging the walls of your blood vessels and making clots more likely, tobacco smoke reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood, due to the nicotine and carbon monoxide. Sometimes the information about things like alcohol seems conflicting. A glass of red wine every night is supposed to be good for you, so when does alcohol consumption begin to lose its benefits? One or two drinks per day my help increase “good” HDL cholesterol, but more than that can contribute to heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.

Other causes of stroke are outside of your control, such as age, gender and heredity. The risk of stroke rises as you get older, and men tend to be more at risk than women. However, while in most age groups more men than women suffer from stroke, women account for more that 50 percent of stroke deaths. Some of your risk, as with many health conditions, is inherited from your family. If you have a parent, grandparent or sibling that has had a stroke, your risk is greater.

If you feel the symptoms of stroke, don’t waste any time – call 911. Symptoms include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body, sudden confusion and difficultly speaking or understanding, sudden vision problems in one or both eyes, sudden difficulty walking, dizziness or lack of balance and coordination, or a sudden, severe headache with no know cause.

For more information about stroke and the risk factors, talk with your health care provider.