Stroke Prevention: Know the Risk Factors
Stroke prevention begins by knowing the risk factors for stroke. Risk factors are conditions or behaviors that increase your chances of getting a certain disease. Some stroke risk factors can be treated or controlled and some cannot. Also, the more risk factors you have, the greater your chances of having a stroke.
Stroke risk factors that you cannot change include:
- Age (the risk of stroke tends to increase with age)
- Gender (men have a higher risk of stroke; however, women are more likely to die from a stroke)
- Being African American
- Having a family history of stroke
- Having a history of a stroke, TIA, or heart attack.
Risk factors for stroke that you can control include:
There are also things that you can control that increase your risk for developing a number of these diseases. These include:
- Being overweight or obese
- Lack of physical activity
- Unhealthy diet.
(Click Stroke Risk Factors for more information about traits, conditions, and other factors that may increase a person's chances of having a stroke.)
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