Brain Stroke Prevention
Stroke prevention is what anyone who is at risk should do in order to avoid having a stroke. Stroke prevention implies avoiding the main risk factors. However, a part of these factors may be controlled by the individual but some others cannot such as age, gender, family history or history of stroke or TIAs. Among the risk factors that the patients can control are the blood pressure, the cholesterol levels, diabetes, obesity or being overweight, smoking or lack of physical activity. Individuals who are overweight or have diabetes have to at least try keeping under control the high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol and they certainly have to quit smoking or abusing alcohol (if that is the case). Stress is another risk factor for stroke and trying to avoid it is another step in stroke prevention.
Hypertension or high blood pressure which is not under control can cause permanent damage to the blood vessels or can accelerate the worsening of other medical conditions. Any individual who has a history of stroke and is at risk should be aware of his or her blood pressure and try keeping it under control by, as an example, having a lower sodium and lower fat diet. The general health condition is also important in stroke prevention. Daily physical activities along with stopping smoking or avoiding second hand smoking are strongly recommended because the small unhealthy things that people do every day are the same that kill them.
Most of the time the ischemic strokes are caused by the factors mentioned above. Hypertension or high blood cholesterol are the leading factors that cause abnormalities of the blood vessels so being aware of these risks and avoiding them is a very important step in stroke prevention.
Sometimes, strokes are caused by underlying heart diseases such as atrial fibrillation so it is mandatory to know if the individual has such heart problems. Abnormalities in the blood vessels such as narrowing or thinning can lead to a hemorrhagic stroke when parts of the brain are flooded with blood. The blood vessels most commonly affected are the arteries that supply the brain with blood.
Last but not least, anyone who thinks he or she may be in danger of suffering a stroke should know what the symptoms of a stroke are. Time is crucial when it comes to treating a stroke and most of the time in saving the patient’s life. Some strokes have no symptoms and they are called silent strokes but they normally are not the most dangerous strokes. Strokes are medical emergencies so the patient must receive medical attention as soon as the first signs have appeared.
Aspirin is a medication effective in stroke prevention because it thinners the blood.