Risk Factors for Stroke

Evaluating an individual's risk for stroke should be based on heredity, natural processes, and the person's lifestyle. Factors resulting from heredity or natural processes can't be changed. Factors resulting from lifestyle or environment can be modified with a doctor's help.

Risk factors for stroke that can be changed, treated, or medically managed:

• high blood pressure -- the most important controllable risk factor for brain attack.

• heart disease -- the second most important risk factor for stroke and the major cause of death among survivors of stroke.

• cigarette smoking - especially the use of oral contraceptives combined with cigarette smoking greatly increases stroke risk.

• history of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) -- a person who's had one or more TIAs is almost 10 times more likely to have a brain attack than someone of the same age and sex who has not.

• high red blood cell count -- a moderate increase in the number of red blood cells thickens the blood and makes clots more likely.

• high blood cholesterol and lipids

• lack of exercise, physical inactivity

• obesity

• excessive alcohol use -- more than two drinks per day raises blood pressure. Binge drinking can lead to brain attack.

• drug abuse (certain kinds) -- intravenous drug abuse carries a high risk of stroke from cerebral embolisms. Cocaine use has been closely related to brain attacks, heart attacks and a variety of other cardiovascular complications. Some of them, even among first-time cocaine users, have been fatal.

Risk factors for stroke that cannot be changed:

• age --for each decade of life after age 55, the chance of having a brain attack more than doubles.

• gender -- men have about a 19 percent greater chance of stroke than women.

• race -- African-Americans have a much higher risk of death and disability from a brain attack than whites, in part because the black population has a greater incidence of high blood pressure.

• a diabetes diagnosis-- an independent risk factor for stroke and strongly correlated with high blood pressure, diabetes is treatable, but having it still increases a person's risk of stroke.

• history of prior stroke -- risk of brain attack for someone who has already had one is many times that of a person who has not.

• heredity/genetics -- chance of stroke is greater in people who have a family history of stroke.

Other risk factors of stroke to be aware of:

• where a person lives -- brain attacks are more common among people living in the southeastern United States than in other areas.

• temperature, season and climate -- stroke deaths occur more often during periods of extreme temperatures.

• socioeconomic factors -- there is some evidence that strokes are more common among low-income people than among more affluent people.