Why strokes

Hypertension prevalence and control among adults: United States, — NCHS data brief, no. Dept of Health and Human Services; American Heart Association. High Blood Pressure and African Americans external icon. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Sickle Cell Disease external icon.

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You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. CDC is not responsible for Section compliance accessibility on other federal or private website. There are other procedures that surgeons can perform to reduce the risk of strokes or TIAs.

A carotid endarterectomy, for example, involves opening the carotid artery and removing plaque that could break and travel to the brain.

Another option is angioplasty. This involves a surgeon inflating a small balloon inside a narrowed artery using a catheter.

Afterward, they will insert a mesh tube, or a stent, into the opening. This prevents the artery from narrowing again. Blood leaking into the brain can cause a hemorrhagic stroke. Treatment focuses on controlling the bleeding and reducing the pressure on the brain. Treatment often begins with taking drugs that reduce pressure in the brain and control overall blood pressure , as well as preventing seizures and any sudden constrictions of blood vessels.

If a person is taking blood-thinning anticoagulants or antiplatelet medication, such as warfarin or clopidogrel, they can receive medications to counter the effects of the blood thinners. Surgeons can repair some of the problems with blood vessels that have led or could lead to hemorrhagic strokes. When an aneurysm — or a bulge in a blood vessel that may burst — causes a hemorrhagic stroke, a surgeon can place small clamps at the base of the aneurysm or fill it with detachable coils to stop the blood flow and shrink the aneurysm.

If the hemorrhage occurs due to an AVM, a surgeon can remove it. AVMs are connections between arteries and veins that can be at risk of bleeding. Stroke is a potentially life changing event that can have lasting physical and emotional effects. Successful recovery from a stroke will often involve specific therapies and support systems, including:. Rehabilitation is an important and ongoing part of stroke treatment. With the right assistance and the support of loved ones, regaining a normal quality of life is usually possible, depending on the severity of the stroke.

The best way to prevent a stroke is to address the underlying causes. People can achieve this by making lifestyle changes such as:. Be sure to limit the amount of red and processed meat in the diet, as well as cholesterol and saturated fats.

Also, moderate salt intake to support healthy blood pressure levels. As well as making these lifestyle changes, taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications can also reduce the risk of experiencing another stroke. Undergoing cardiac artery, carotid artery, or brain aneurysm surgery can also lower the risk of additional strokes, as can some other surgical options still under investigation.

Each type of stroke has a different set of potential causes. Generally, however, stroke is more likely to affect a person if they:. Some studies have found that males have a higher risk of death from stroke than females. However, one review of studies suggests that these differences do not take into account adjustments for race, age, the severity of the stroke, and other risk factors.

The review explains that the risk of stroke mortality often increases due to age and demographic, rather than the biological differences between males and females. According to a analysis , African American people have a significantly higher risk of experiencing a first-time stroke. This type of stroke occurs due to blockages or narrowing in the arteries that provide blood to the brain.

This causes ischemia, or a severely reduced blood flow, which damages brain cells. Blood clots often cause ischemic stroke.

Clots can form in the brain arteries and other blood vessels in the body. The bloodstream carries these into narrower arteries in the brain. Since those foods are commonly thought of as healthy options, it may be unexpected that they could be so detrimental to your health. It is important to focus on moderation when it comes to these foods. Your body also produces a small amount of cholesterol, so you have to account for that, as well.

Cholesterol is one of the biggest reasons behind strokes. Many of the stroke symptoms are also symptoms of something else, so it may be hard to figure out what is really going on.

It is important to not ignore these symptoms, however, and there are a few that stroke symptoms that are more specific to strokes than to anything else. The stroke symptoms that were just mentioned are ones that present themselves to both men and women. There are a certain set of symptoms that normally occur only in women, however, so it is important for women to keep an eye open for those. There are certain stroke symptoms that generally only occur for men, as well. These symptoms include:.

All of the things that could lead to strokes may make you feel like there is nothing you can do to prevent one. This is far from the truth, however. There are many precautions you can take to lessen your chances of strokes. Strokes are normally completely unexpected, but they can be completely debilitating. The longer it takes to get medical treatment, the more damaging strokes are to your body. There are risk factors and also prevention methods, so there are ways to get ahead of the problem.

The quicker you receive medical attention, the better off you will be, so it is best to seek treatment instead of waiting to know for sure that it is what you are experiencing.

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