Stroke: 15 risk factors you should know

Did you know more than half risk factors for stroke can be controlled? Find out which of your risk factors for stroke can be removed

By: Shraddha Rupavate | | Updated: June 10, 2014 4:12 pm

A stroke is a medical emergency that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted or blocked. Due to lack of blood supply, neurons (brain cells) in that particular part of the brain start dying within a couple of minutes. Therefore, stroke can have long-term impact on the body depending on the functions of the body controlled by the affected brain area.

Stroke can affect a person at any age but certain factors put you at a greater risk of suffering from a stroke. Here are they:

1. Age: Aging is one of the major risk factors for stroke. The risk is almost doubled with every decade after the age of 55 years. So a person who’s 80-years old is 30 times likely to suffer a stroke compared to a 50 year old.

2. Family history: If you have a family member who has suffered a stroke then your chances raise slightly. This is because stroke can also be caused by a genetic mutation that results in damage to the blood vessels. If you have inherited this gene mutation from your parents then your chances of suffering from stroke increase.

3. Personal history: If you have had a stroke earlier in your life, you chance of suffering another one increases by 10 times compared to a person of the same age and gender who has not suffered a stroke. The annual risk of a subsequent stroke in survivors is almost 5%.

4. Gender: The relationship between gender and the occurrence of stroke is slightly complicated. Some studies mention that women are at a higher risk of stroke while other say men are likely to get affected. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, men are more likely to suffer from stroke than women at a younger age and women are more likely to die of a stroke than men.

5. Race: Like all other lifestyle disorders, stroke also seems to have increased incidence in some regions compared to others. Stroke commonly affects Americans and American Indian adults than Caucasians or Asian American adults. According to the Indian Stroke Association (ISA), Indian population is estimated to have over 1 million strokes per year.

6. Hypertension: The risk of stroke increases as the blood pressure increases. People with uncontrolled BP, particularly with BP more than 160/95mmHg, are at the highest risk.

7. Diabetes: Uncontrolled diabetes is interlinked with heart disease and therefore doubles your risk suffering from a stroke. However, controlled sugar levels alone cannot help you to reduce your stroke risk.

8. High cholesterol levels: Elevated level of bad cholesterol (LDL) is a major risk factor for ischemic heart disease. And ischemic heart disease invariably increases your chances of suffering from an ischemic stroke, caused by the formation of a blood clot in the blood vessels or due to hardening or clogging of arteries leading to the brain.

9. Heart disease: Coronary heart disease (CHD), atrial fibrillation, cardiomyopathy and heart failure are individually linked to increased risk of stroke. The survival chance of a person who has heart disease and has survived a stroke are only 25% (in 5 years).

10. Smoking: Quitting smoking is already shown to be effective for reducing the risk of heart disease. In case of stroke, cessation of smoking has found to reduce the stroke risk by approximately 1.5 times.

11. Obesity: Obesity is an indirect risk factor for stroke which adds other modifiable risk factors like high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and heart disease to increase your risk of stroke.

12. Stress: Stress is associated with lifestyle related disorders and an increased risk of stroke. One of the studies by Eggers AE hypothesized the relation between stress and stroke. Hormones released during stress affect the blood vessels and the circulatory system of the body. It can cause migraine, high blood pressure and platelet activation and aggregation, a hypercoagulable state that results in stroke.

13. Conditions affecting the blood vessels: If you’re suffering from a medical condition involving the blood vessels then you are more likely to suffer from a stroke. Inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis), sickle cell anemia and bleeding disorders are some conditions that add to your chances of stroke.

14. Obstructive sleep apnea: Sleep related breathing disorders like obstructive sleep apnea increase the risk of vascular diseases, especially stroke. In obstructive sleep apnea, the air flow (while breathing) gets blocked partially or completely. This reduces the blood levels of oxygen, resulting in oxygen deprivation to several cells of the body including the brain cells.

15. Drug abuse: People who indulge in cocaine, heroin, amphetamines and other illegal drugs can be at a greater risk of stroke. These drugs have a direct effect on the neurological motor of the brain. They may increase your risk for both hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke.

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of stroke.

References:

Stroke: A Practical Approach by James D. Geyer and Camilo R. Gomez
Mehndiratta MM and colleagues. Meeting the challenges of stroke in India.
Wyller TB. Stroke and gender
Fonseca AC, Ferro JM. Drug abuse and stroke
American Heart Association (http://www.strokeassociation.org/)
Stroke risk factors and prevention (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/)

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Published : April 29, 2014 2:29 pm | Updated:June 10, 2014 4:12 pm

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