Are You A Candidate For Stroke?

Worldwide, 15 million people suffer a stroke with about 5 million of them dying untreated each year. Stroke is also the second leading cause of death among those age 60 and above as well as the fifth leading cause of death among people aged 15-59.

What are the Symptoms for Stroke?

Knowing the symptoms of a stroke is important as it will help you alert your doctor so that prompt treatment can be given at the right time. Further, all strokes hit fast so it is better for you to know its symptoms. Here are the common symptoms:

• Trouble speaking or sudden trouble walking
• Sudden trouble swallowing
• Sudden confusion
• Sudden trouble with understanding others
• Sudden dizziness, loss of coordination or balance
• Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, legs, or arms
• Sudden chronic headache with no known causes
• Sudden loss of vision in half the visual field

But in females, the following symptoms may indicate stroke:

• Sudden chest pain
• Sudden palpitations (racing or pounding heartbeat)
• Sudden leg, arm or face pain
• Sudden tiredness
• Sudden hiccups
• Sudden shortness of breath
• Sudden nausea

Checklist: Are You a Candidate For Stroke?

Each time you answer “YES”, you have identified one of the risk factors you may face. Unhealthy lifestyle choices and particular traits can also double one’s risk of stroke.

1. Do you eat a lot of greasy, fried, or salty foods? YES/NO
2. Do you sometimes neglect or forget to take prescribed medications? YES/NO
3. Do you have diabetes? YES/NO
4. Do you suffer from heart disease or other type of heart disease? YES/NO
5. Do you suffer from atrial fibrillation? YES/NO
6. Do you suffer from atherosclerosis (fatty build-up)? YES/NO
7. Do you have high blood pressure? YES/NO
8. Do you smoke? YES/NO
9. Do you drink alcohol more than twice a day if you are a male or more than once a day if you are a female? YES/NO
10. Are you aged 55 or above 55? YES/NO
11. Did you have a previous medical record of stroke? YES/NO
12. Are you African-American? YES/NO
13. Do you exercise only rarely or not at all? YES/NO
14. Do you have a family record of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or/and stroke? YES/NO
15. Are you overweight? YES/NO

What are the Risk Factors for Stroke?

There are two types of risk factors, being one of them cannot be modified while the other can be controlled. Below are the risk factors that cannot be changed:

Age: The chance of getting stroke increases when one attains the age 55 and above

Your Family history: The chance of getting stroke increases when one of your family members had a stroke.

Ethnicity: The chance of getting stroke increases if you are an African-American as they are more likely to have high blood pressure and/or diabetes.

Your Medical Record: If you had a stroke previously, the odds may be higher of another stroke as compared to those who have not had a stroke.

Gender: Females are more likely to die of stroke and males have higher chance of getting stroke.

Note: Even though you cannot modify these risk factors, you can take appropriate measures to influence or reduce these risk factors.

Below are risk factors that you can control:

Obesity: Being overweight can increase your chance of getting stroke and heart disease as well. If you are obese, you should employ a healthy diet plan to lose a small amount of body weight which will help reduce your risk.

Heart disease: This disease includes the heart’s pumping ability, rhythm or a weakened heart muscle, or problems arising from the arteries that deliver blood to the heart muscles. Heart disease is resulted from fatty build-up or atherosclerosis which can double your risk of stroke. To cope with the heart related problem (s), consult a doctor and follow their advice.

Smoking: Smoking in any form can increase the damage to the arteries, and cardiovascular system, and this in turns leads to the tendency of blood clotting, and can even temporarily give rise to the blood pressure and heart rate.

Diabetes: The unusually high levels of blood sugar are a condition of diabetes. This condition is always followed by high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Unhealthy diet: If you are consuming excessive amount of foods high in trans-fats, cholesterol or/and saturated fats, these fats can eventually clog up the arteries. Similarly, too much intake of sodium (or salt) too, increased blood pressure.

Lack of exercise: Being physically inactive can give rise to blood pressure, and elevate cholesterol levels as well. In order to improve your lipid and blood pressure levels, reduce your stress (es) and cut off the risks of heart disease and stroke, you should be physically active.

High blood pressure: When too much force is exerted on the walls of the arteries, the blood will be pushed against the arteries causing high blood pressure. High blood pressure causes a huge overload on the heart and arteries and thereby increases the risk of stroke.

Carotid artery disease: As the carotid arteries in your neck provide blood to the brain, they play a significant role in maintaining healthy body. The carotid arteries narrowed by the fatty deposits (or atherosclerosis) can lead to the limitation of the blood flow to the brain.

Factors that can Double Your Risks of Getting Stroke

Your risk for stroke doubles if you have….

Atherosclerosis (fatty build-up)

Fats that develop in the blood can form plaque within the artery walls and the plaque will narrow the carotid arteries that supply the brain with blood causing a stroke. This situation occurs especially when plaque ruptures or bursts blocking the flow of the blood with the presence of the formation of a blood clot within the artery walls. Not only the blood clot blocks the blood flow, but a stroke also can be caused by the breaking of a piece of plaque inside the artery or those arteries inside the brain.

Treatment may involve medications like statins that are used to reduce cholesterol. Doctors may also prescribe drugs that inhibit blood clotting, and in certain cases, they may suggest a surgery or an invasive intervention like a stent to help treat a stroke.

Heart Failure

Due to the heart muscle being unable to pump as much blood as needed by the body, less blood travels to the rest of the body. Fluid then backs up in the other organs and the heart over time, affecting heart function. As a result, you feel pain, disability and fatigue.

Atrial Fibrillation (AF)

Atrial Fibrillation or AF is a condition when there are too many electrical signals to cause the upper heart chambers to “quiver” instead of pumping the blood; and when blood that is collected within these chambers forms clots and if a clot leaves the heart and lodges inside the brain, a stroke can happen.

Diabetes

Artery damage is more likely since diabetes causes glucose building up in the blood. This in turn causes the occurrence of atherosclerosis and high blood pressure. Therefore, people who are living with diabetes should avoid saturated fats and cholesterol-rich foods, adjust their diet to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels and to exercise regularly. It is advisable to follow the advice of your doctor in terms of diet, monitoring plan, and also medication plan prescribed by your doctor.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is regarded as the leading risk factor for stroke, but this risk factor can be controlled by monitoring the blood pressure levels regularly.

What You Should Do To Prevent/Reduce The Attack of Stroke?

As high blood pressure is the leading risk factor for stroke, you can control its risks by following the ways suggested here to keep your blood pressure (BP) healthy. Meanwhile, for those who have risks for a stroke or a history record of a stroke, you must ask your doctor about the plan on medications, exercises and diets in addition to the suggestions here.

Exercise Regularly

Try spending at least 30 minutes on most days of the week to do some physical activities like walking, jogging, cycling and etc. I would suggest those with a stroke record to ask a doctor which activity is safer for them and, they should always follow doctor’s advice regarding exercising and report any abnormal signs or discomfort feelings they may feel after exercising to a doctor immediately.

Limiting Salt Intake

The intake of excessive table salt causes a significant rise in blood pressure levels. So, you should keep a close watch on your daily salt intake.

Keeping a Healthy Body Weight

Approach your doctor and discuss with them what body weight is ideal or the healthiest for you, so that you can aim to achieve that level.

Limiting Alcohol Intake

If you are a male, do not have more than two drinks a day or more than one drink a day if you are female.

Knowing Your Blood Pressure

Monitor your blood pressure at home or alternatively have your blood pressure checked regularly at the doctor’s office. By keeping track with the records of your BP at home, you can alert your doctor about any repeated lower BP readings or higher BP readings.

Manage Your Stress

Manage your stress (es) by meditation, praying, or doing some relaxation techniques.

Drinking Plenty Amount of Water

Drink 8 glasses of water daily as this will help improve blood circulation, while reducing the stroke risk by as much as 30-35%. You can also drink a glass of purple grape juice a day. These fluids help by thinning the blood and thereby cutting off the tendency of blood clotting in the arteries.

Eat Healthily

Your daily diet should be rich in vegetables and fruits but low in cholesterol, dairy products and low fat or fat-free.

Learning More about Fats

You should learn what fats, cholesterol and lipids are and make smart choices about the type and amount of fats you may include in your daily diets.

Final remark:

If you are experiencing any abnormal signs or discomfort feeling arising from a stroke, please consult a doctor immediately. Do not disregard the unhealthy symptoms as they can lead to a severe stroke attack.

You might be interested in my related articles:

• How to monitor your diabetes or blood sugar level?

• Are you at risk for atherogenic dyslipidaemia?

• Lowering your high cholesterol with Lipitor

• Fight cholesterol with ZETIA

• Understanding heart disease

• Alzheimer's disease: causes, symptoms, treatments and preventative options

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As always, stay well and healthy!