Reducing Risk of Stroke
The main stroke risk factors are:
- High blood pressure
- Cigarette smoking
- High blood cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Heavy alcohol use and 'binge' drinking
- Existing heart and blood vessel disease, including disorders of heart rhythm (such as atrial fibrillation), coronary heart disease and peripheral vascular disease
- Previous stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
- Increasing age
Important things you can do in reducing risk of stroke are:
- Have your blood pressure, blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels checked by your doctor and keep them controlled by following your doctor's lifestyle advice and taking any medications as prescribed.
- Don't smoke - for information on quitting smoking call the Quitline on 131 848.
Also:
- Enjoy healthy eating: eat a variety of foods which are low in saturated fat and salt
- Be physically active: include 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity (such as brisk walking) on most, or all, days of the week.
- Drink alcohol only in moderation, if at all. If you have high blood pressure or are taking blood pressure medication, you are advised to limit alcohol intake to no more than two drinks per day (men), or one drink pre day (women).
- Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight
- If you have a high risk of stroke, or have already had a stroke, your doctor may recommend medication (such as aspirin, clopidogrel, dipyridamole or warfarin) to help stop blood clots forming. Your doctor may consider a form of surgery to 'clean out' a narrowed blood vessel in the neck that supplies the brain. This procedure is called 'carotid endarterectomy', and it involves removing the fatty deposits that are clogging the artery.