Know the Risk Factors
Risk factors you can control:
- Get screened for high blood pressure at least every two years. If you have a family history of high blood pressure, get screened yearly.
- Have your cholesterol checked. If you are high risk, your LDL "bad" cholesterol should be lower than 100 mg/dL.
- If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and/or heart disease, make sure you follow your doctor's treatment recommendations.
- Follow a low-fat, low-salt diet.
- Quit smoking.
- Exercise regularly -- 30 minutes at least 5 days a week if you are not overweight; 60 - 90 minutes a day if you are overweight.
- Limit yourself to no more than two alcoholic drinks a day.
There are some stroke risk factors you cannot change, such as:
- Age – The chance of having a stroke more than doubles for each decade of life after age 55.
- Race – African-Americans and Lations have a higher risk of death and disability from a stroke, partly because they have greater incidence of high blood pressure.
- Gender – There is a greater incidence of stroke among men than women. However, more women than men die from strokes.
- Heredity – Your chance of a stroke is increased if there is a stroke history in the family.
Lastly, if you previously had a stroke, your risk of having another one is greatly increased.
What Every Woman Should Know About Stroke (.PDF) >>
