Lowering the Risk of Stroke

Q:  Recent studies have shown that strokes are much more common than once thought. A few of my relatives have had strokes, and I was devastated by the effects. Can someone lower their risk of strokes and if so, how?

A:  For many Americans, surviving a stroke can be a fate worse than death. Having a stroke is similar to major power failure, where vital circuits are often permanently destroyed, leaving one to often literally limp along on those portions of the brain left undamaged.

There are two basic kinds of strokes. The first, and often most devastating, is called a hemorrhagic stroke. This occurs when a weakened blood vessel in the brain breaks open, spilling blood under high pressure into a cavity that cannot expand (the skull) and subjecting the fragile tissue of the brain to forces it cannot resist. These strokes frequently occur without warning or can be foretold by terrific headaches.

The second kind of stroke occurs when a fragment (a small blood clot, a growth on a heart valve or a piece of the lining of a blood vessel) breaks off and is pumped into the blood vessels supplying brain. This fragment travels somewhat innocuously until its diameter exceeds that of the blood vessel and like a ball valve, shuts off the blood supply beyond this new blockage.

The risk of stroke can be drastically reduced through the following steps:

1. Have your blood pressure checked regularly, especially as you reach your 50s and 60s. If it is elevated, religiously take your blood pressure medication.

2. Watch your cholesterol beginning as early as your 30s. If it is elevated, do everything in your power to get it down, including dietary changes, exercise, and medication when necessary.

3. For those over 50, make sure your doctor carefully listens to your heart for any new murmurs and also to your carotid arteries (large arteries in the neck) for signs of narrowing.

4. Take one aspirin per day (either 80 mg from a baby aspirin or 325 mg from a regular aspirin) after discussing this option with your doctor.

"Your Health" provides easy-to-understand information about common health conditions.