"Stroke can be
prevented and we are learning more about ways of accomplishing that,"
said Goldstein, professor of medicine (neurology) and director of the
Duke Center for Cerebrovascular Disease at Duke University Medical
Center in Durham, N.C.
Some stroke risks
cannot be changed. You may have a genetic predisposition to having
strokes. Older people, men, African Americans, and people with a family
record of strokes are at a higher risk compared to other groups.
The report
mentions that there is a possible connection between low-birth weight
babies who may have a higher risk for stroke when they become an adult.
Other research studies have shown babies that weighed less than 5.5
pounds at birth had twice the risk of having a stroke as an adult
compared to babies that weighed in at 8 pounds.
"We are facing
potential cutbacks in maternal health and nutrition programs. In
addition to their public health benefits, it makes sense to invest in
programs aimed at improving the health of women during pregnancy,"
Goldstein said. "Dividends may pay off decades later by potentially
reducing the chances of stroke – and all the health costs that go with
it – later in life."
The American
Stroke Association recommends how you can reduce your risk of developing
a stroke. These are habits that people can attain to improve their
health and reduce their risk of having a stroke.
The most common
recommendations most people already know are still valuable tools for
lowering your stroke risk. Make sure to control high blood pressure, if
you have high blood pressure make sure to talk with your doctor about
treatment options. You should have your doctor check your blood
pressure at least once every two years. If you are overweight it is
recommended that you lose weight to improve your blood pressure
readings.
You should not
smoke. If you smoke you should quit smoking. Stay away from secondhand
smoke. Exercising regularly and keeping active for at least 30 minutes
each day.
Make sure to check
in with your doctor for a checkup to make sure that you do not have any
disorders that can raise you stroke risk such as, atrial fibrillation (a
type of irregular heartbeat), carotid artery disease and heart failure.
Keep your cholesterol levels in a healthy range.
The American
Stroke Association wants physicians to try to use a risk assessment tool
such as the Framingham Stroke Profile in order to identity high risk
stroke patients.
"It is important
to identify patients at high risk of stroke because research shows that
many strokes can be prevented if those individuals modify their risk
factors," Goldstein said.
Other ways to
lower your stroke risk includes counseling for genetic related stroke
disorders. The report suggests that doctors treat patients who are
high-risk diabetic to take prescription statin drugs. If they are
diabetic, the patient should try to maintain a lower blood pressure at
all times.
If you increase
your potassium intake and reduce salt intake you can help lower blood
pressure with people with hypertension. However be aware that too much
potassium can be harmful, so you should check in with your doctor or
registered dietician for dietary guidelines. The Dietary Approach to
Stopping Hypertension (DASH) diet is a researched diet that has been
shown to lower blood pressure by combining potassium and calcium to act
as natural diuretic.
Children that have
sickle cell disease should have transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound
screening starting at the age of 2. These children may need treatment
and are at a high risk for stroke. Adults with sickle cell disease
should also be carefully watched as they are also at a high risk for
strokes.
Other
recommendations that will lower stroke risk, is to limit alcohol
consumption and not use illegal drugs. They do not recommend women to
take oral contraceptives when smoking as this increases a risk for
stroke as well.
The report
suggests that people that suffer with sleep apnea that gets treated with
a CPAP machine may lower the risk for stroke. The studies have not been
duplicated enough to say for sure. If a person is overweight and
snores, a doctor should make have the person complete a sleep study to
rule out sleep apnea.
"We know that
treating sleep apnea is associated with a reduction of blood pressure,"
Goldstein said. "And although we don't have direct evidence that
treating sleep apnea will reduce stroke risk, the feeling is that it
will. But that is not yet supported by randomized trials."
The report
recommends that women who has not yet had a stroke and is at a higher
risk for a stroke should be on a low-dose aspirin regimen. They do not
recommend it for men at this time, because there is not enough evidence
to support the daily aspirin for lowering stroke risk. However, if a
man has a high cardiovascular risk there could be benefit for aspirin
regimen for the primary prevention. It would be best to consult with
your doctor if an aspirin regimen would be right for you.
Nicole Wilson
Best Syndication
Stroke Treatment Books
Keywords and misspellings: stroak strok prevention
prevension treetment treatment american stoke asociation ASA org how to
lower risk for having a stroke disibility speech slur paralized face
numb body parilysis treetment
RSS Feed to our neurological
content
