A stroke is an interruption of the blood supply to any part of the brain. A stroke is sometimes called a "brain attack."
There are two major types of stroke: ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke.
When a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot, this is called an ischemic stroke. A blocked artery may happen in two ways.
A second major cause of stroke is bleeding in the brain. This is called a hemorrhagic stroke. It can occur when small blood vessels in the brain become weak and burst. Some people have defects in the blood vessels of the brain that make this more likely. The flow of blood that occurs after the blood vessel ruptures damages brain cells.
See also:
Alternative NamesStroke prevention; Preventing strokes
InformationMen have more strokes than women.
RISK FACTORS FOR STROKE
Risk factors for atherosclerosis and narrowing of the arteries, which can lead to stroke, include:
Risk factors that can make your blood more likely to clot, which can lead to stroke, include:
Risk factors for strokes caused by blood clots (emboli) that develop in the heart include:
Risks for a stroke caused by bleeding in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke) include:
Risk factors for stroke secondary to carotid dissection include:
STROKE PREVENTION
The following lifestyle changes may help prevent a stroke:
Your doctor may suggest taking aspirin or another drug called clopidogrel (Plavix) to help prevent blood clots from forming in your arteries or your heart. These medicines are called antiplatelet drugs. DO NOT take aspirin without talking to your doctor first. Your doctor may suggest using one of these drugs:
Warfarin (Coumadin), an anticoagulant ("blood thinner") drug, may be used to prevent strokes if you have:
A type of surgery called carotid endarterectomy may help prevent new strokes from occurring in persons with large blockages in their neck arteries. See: Carotid artery surgery
ReferencesGoldstein LB. Prevention and management of stroke. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, eds. Libby: Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. Saunders; 2007: chap 58.
Zivin JA. Hemorrhagic cerebrovascular disease. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 432.
Chung CS, Caplan LR. Stroke and other neurovascular disorders. In: Goetz, CG, eds. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 45.
A stroke is an interruption of the blood supply to any part of the brain. A stroke is sometimes called a "brain attack."
A risk factor is something about you that increases your chance of getting a disease or having a certain health condition. Some risk factors for stroke you cannot change, but some you can. Changing risk factors that you do control will help you live a longer, healthier life.
See also:
Alternative NamesStroke prevention; Preventing strokes
InformationRisk Factors You Cannot Change
Blood clots from the heart may travel to the brain and cause a stroke. This may happen in people with man-made or infected heart valves or in certain heart defects you were born with. Other causes of blood clots are a very weak heart and some abnormal heartbeats,
Risk Factors You Can Change
You can change some risk factors for stroke, by taking the following steps:
Good nutrition is important to your heart health and will help control some of your stroke risk factors.
Read labels, and stay away from "saturated fat" and anything that contains "partially-hydrogenated" or "hydrogenated" fats. These products are usually loaded with unhealthy fats.
Your doctor may suggest taking aspirin or another drug called clopidogrel (Plavix) to help prevent blood clots from forming. DO NOT take aspirin without talking to your doctor first.
If you are taking these drugs or other blood thinners, you should take steps to prevent yourself from falling or tripping.
Follow these guidelines and the advice of your doctor to lower your chances of stroke.
ReferencesGoldstein LB, Bushnell CD, Adams RJ, Appel LJ, Braun LT, Chaturvedi S, et al. Guidelines for the primary prevention of stroke: a guideline for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2011 Feb;42(2):517-84. Epub 2010 Dec 2.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 04/30/2011
Kevin Sheth, MD, Department of Neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
Some of the 3 risk factors of stroke are; high blood pressure, heart disease and smoking.
Heat stroke
You can control the risks of a stroke if you watch what you eat, exercise, stop drinking, quit smoking, also taking a single aspirin daily will greatly reduce the risk of a stroke.
Elliot J. Rayfield has written: 'Diabetes, beating the odds' -- subject(s): Diabetes, Popular works, Prevention, Risk factors, Popular Works, Epidemiology, Diabetes Mellitus, Prevention & control, Risk Factors
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Aside from aging and hypertension, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, smoking, oral contraceptives in women, polycythemia, and a condition called sleep apnea are all risk factors for stroke, as is a diet high in cholesterol or fatty foods.
If he has known risk factors, it certainly wouldn't hurt. You can have a stroke at any age.
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Metabolic disorder or syndrome is a group of risk factors that raises your risk for heart disease and other health problems, such as diabetesexternal and stroke. These risk factors can increase your risk for health problems even if they're only moderately raised.
What is a Stroke?A person has a stroke when an artery becomes blocked by a blood clot or when a blood vessel breaks, which obstructs blood from reaching certain regions of the brain. When one of these two things occurs, brain damage occurs due to dying brain cells. After a person has had a stroke, he or she typically loses some speech, memory and movement abilities. The extent of the damage typically depends on the seriousness of the stroke.What are the Symptoms of a Stroke?It is essential to know the signs of a stroke so that you can seek help immediately to reduce damage. A major symptom of a stroke is numbness or loss of movement in certain body parts, such as the arm, leg or face. Someone experiencing a stroke will also likely have vision issues, will seem confused, will have a lack of balance and will have trouble speaking.Who is Most at Risk for Having a Stroke?Anyone of any age, race or gender can experience a stroke, but certain factors put an individual at higher risk for having a stroke. Up to 80 percent of strokes are preventable, so it is important to know the risk factors to take precautions for yourself and your loved ones. There are controllable risk factors, which are factors that can be controlled through lifestyle changes, and there are uncontrollable risk factors that cannot be changed.Unfortunately, there are several uncontrollable risk factors that inherently make individuals more susceptible to strokes. An individual who is over the age of 55 is at a higher risk of having a stroke than a younger individual. A male is more susceptible to a stroke than a female. People of certain races, such as African Americans, Hispanics and Asians, are more likely to have strokes than Caucasian individuals. Additionally, individuals whose family members have had strokes are at higher risks of having strokes than people who have no family histories of strokes.Controllable risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes, circulation problems, tobacco and alcohol use, high cholesterol and obesity. These factors are not necessarily easy to control, but through lifestyle changes and medication, they can be tackled to reduce the risk of a stroke.
two thirds of stroke victims are over age 65. Risk is shown to double with each 10 years over age 55. Men are more at risk than women, although most stroke survivors over age 65 are women