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The Top 10 Risk Factors for a Stroke & How to Protect Yourself

by Gilbert Guide

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The Top 10 Risk Factors for a Stroke & How to Change Them

The major factors that can affect your risk of having a stroke are:

Age. The risk of having a stroke doubles every ten years after age 55.
Gender. Men are more likely to have a stroke than women.
Race. African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asian-Americans have a higher rate of stroke risk than non-Hispanic whites.
Genetics. A family history of a stroke places family members at greater risk.
History of Stroke & Mini-stroke. One in six people with ischemic (atherosclerotic) strokes, who survive, are at greater risk of another stroke within two years. People who have had transient ischemic attacks (TIA), also know as a mini-stroke, are at about a ten times greater risk of having a major stroke.
Hypertension. Hypertension increases the strain on the blood vessels in the brain which raises the risk for having a stroke.
Heart disease . Your risk of having a stroke can be reduced by preventing heart disease.
Poor Nutrition. Individuals who do not eat enough fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish—or who have excess dietary sodium or a low-potassium diet.
Fitness. Being overweight, obese or lacking of a daily exercise program raises your risk of having a stroke.
Diabetes. Being diabetic is a stroke risk and requires active treatment. (Read more about the links researchers have found between diabetes, African-Americans and Alzheimer's disease.)

Lowering Your Risk Factors for a Stroke

Some risk factors for a stroke are avoidable or can be diminished. Strokes can be prevented through controlling blood pressure (hypertension) and cholesterol. Changes in lifestyle, such as not smoking, moderate to vigorous exercise thirty minutes a day, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a prudent heart-healthy diet are also very important. It has been estimated that about 80% of the risk of a stroke is related to high blood pressure. When the blood pressure is controlled, the stroke risk may decrease about 40%, which also reduces the heart attack rate by about 27% and heart failure by 54%. About two-thirds of Americans over age sixty-five have an elevated blood pressure making the brain arteries stiffer and more fragile for a possible bleed, especially if there is hypertension. Visit our Lifestyle & Wellness section to get tips on obtaining optimal health.

Editor’s Note: This article, adapted by authored by Jay S. Luxenberg, MD and Ernest H. Rosenbaum, MD, was based on data from Nutrition Action Health Letter by Bonnie Lieberman, Center For Science in the Public Interest Vol 34, No.2 p.1-8.

Posted in: Risk Factors & Prevention