Statistics on stroke
Causes of stroke
Risk factors of stroke
Medical professionals treating stroke
Where to get help
Things to remember
A stroke interrupts blood flow to an area of the brain. Strokes can be fatal, but the risk can be reduced. Many stroke risk factors are lifestyle related, so everyone has the power to reduce their risk of having a stroke.

Statistics on stroke

Australians will suffer more than half a million strokes in the next ten years, also:

One in three people die within a year of having a stroke.
Stroke kills more women than breast cancer.
Almost one in five people who experience a stroke are under the age of 55.
Men are more likely to suffer a stroke and at a younger age.
In 2013, Australians suffered around 50,000 new and recurrent strokes – that’s one stroke every 10 minutes.
Stroke is Australia’s second biggest killer after heart disease.

Causes of stroke

A stroke can occur as:

a haemorrhagic stroke – an artery may rupture and cause bleeding into the brain tissue. Also called a cerebral haemorrhage
an ischaemic stroke caused by atherosclerosis – an artery may become blocked by progressive thickening of its walls
an ischaemic stroke caused by embolism – a clot blocks an artery and prevents blood getting to part of the brain.
The brain cells in the immediate area are killed because they are deprived of oxygen. The dead area that results from stroke is known as an infarct. Without prompt medical treatment, the area of brain cells surrounding the infarct will also die.

Risk factors of stroke

Some stroke risk factors can’t be controlled. These include gender, age and family history. However, many stroke risk factors are lifestyle related. Everyone can reduce their risk of having a stroke by making a few simple lifestyle changes.

Lifestyle-related factors that increase your risk of stroke include:

high blood pressure
cigarette smoking
diabetes
high blood cholesterol levels
heavy drinking
a diet high in fat (particularly saturated) and salt, but low in fibre, fruit and vegetables
lack of regular exercise
obesity.
Another important risk factor, particularly as you get older, includes atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat).

Overall risk increases when multiple risk factors are present. Your doctor should assess this overall risk (called ‘absolute risk’) using a tool that calculates your risk of stroke and heart disease based on your age, sex, blood pressure, smoking history, cholesterol levels, and whether you have diabetes. Your doctor will also consider other factors such as if you have atrial fibrillation or kidney disease.

High blood pressure and stroke

High blood pressure (hypertension) is the most significant risk factor for stroke. Blood pressure refers to the pressure inside the arteries. Normal blood pressure is around 120/80, while high-normal blood pressure is 120/80 to 140/90. High blood pressure is when your blood pressure is consistently over 140/90. This is called ‘hypertension’.

Hypertension means that the blood is exerting more pressure than is normal or healthy. Over time, this weakens and damages blood vessel walls, which can lead to stroke, particularly cerebral haemorrhage.

Hypertension may also cause thickening of the artery walls, resulting in narrowing and eventual blockage of the vessel (ischaemic stroke). In atherosclerosis, the pressure of your pumping blood could ‘hose off’ debris from damaged artery walls. The circulating debris (called emboli) can cause a stroke by lodging in and blocking a blood vessel in the brain.

Strategies to reduce high blood pressure include:

Check your blood pressure regularly and know your numbers.
Maintain a healthy weight for your height.
Exercise regularly.
Choose a low-fat, high-fibre diet.
Reduce or eliminate salt from your diet.
Limit your alcohol intake to two or fewer standard drinks per day.
Stop smoking.
Take antihypertensive medications to help control high blood pressure.
Atherosclerosis and stroke

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the walls of the arteries and is a major cause of stroke. The term ‘atherosclerosis’ literally translates as hardening of the arteries. Healthy arteries are flexible and smooth-walled, allowing unimpeded blood flow. Arteries affected by atherosclerosis become stiff, inflexible and narrowed by deposits of cholesterol-laden ‘plaque’.

This plaque destabilises the lining of the artery and can lead to the formation of blood clots within the vessel (atherothrombosis). These clots can then either block the artery or break off and flow downstream in the blood, lodging in a smaller vessel (embolism).

Either of these events (atherothrombosis or embolism) can cause an ischaemic stroke. Atherosclerosis can also weaken the walls of smaller arteries and result in haemorrhagic strokes.

Treatment for atherosclerosis includes:

appropriate lifestyle changes
medications that reduce the amount of fats circulating in the blood
antiplatelet medications (such as aspirin) or anticoagulant drugs (such as warfarin) to prevent blood clots forming
antihypertensive medications to reduce high blood pressure.
Carotid artery stenosis

Hardening of the arteries in the neck (carotid arteries) can be a high risk for stroke, because these arteries are responsible for delivering blood to the brain. Atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries causes narrowing. This is called carotid artery stenosis or carotid stenosis.

Most people with carotid stenosis are not aware of the condition until they have a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or stroke. A TIA is a powerful warning that a full stroke is pending, possibly within hours, days, weeks or months. Apart from medications to control atherosclerosis, treatment may include surgery to unblock the carotid arteries.

Smoking and stroke

Smoking can double or even quadruple your risk of stroke. Some of the chemicals in cigarette smoke (such as nicotine and carbon monoxide) accelerate the process of atherosclerosis (narrowing of arteries). Clots are more likely to form because smoking thickens the blood and makes clotting factors, such as platelets, much more ‘sticky’. Cigarette smoke forces arteries to constrict (get narrower), which makes it harder for the thickened blood to move through the vessels.

Strategies to quit smoking include:

Call the Quitline for further advice and support.
See your doctor for information and advice.
Decide on a strategy, such as ‘cold turkey’ or using nicotine replacement therapy.
Keep a smoking diary so that you are aware of your smoking triggers (such as stress or boredom).
Ask your family and friends for support.
Don’t be discouraged by a slip-up. If you smoke a cigarette, put it behind you and keep going

If you wish to read more on the article,you can check www.myhealthgist.com

Saoyewole7890:
Statistics on stroke
Causes of stroke
Risk factors of stroke
Medical professionals treating stroke
Where to get help
Things to remember
A stroke interrupts blood flow to an area of the brain. Strokes can be fatal, but the risk can be reduced. Many stroke risk factors are lifestyle related, so everyone has the power to reduce their risk of having a stroke.

Statistics on stroke

Australians will suffer more than half a million strokes in the next ten years, also:

One in three people die within a year of having a stroke.
Stroke kills more women than breast cancer.
Almost one in five people who experience a stroke are under the age of 55.
Men are more likely to suffer a stroke and at a younger age.
In 2013, Australians suffered around 50,000 new and recurrent strokes – that’s one stroke every 10 minutes.
Stroke is Australia’s second biggest killer after heart disease.

Causes of stroke

A stroke can occur as:

a haemorrhagic stroke – an artery may rupture and cause bleeding into the brain tissue. Also called a cerebral haemorrhage
an ischaemic stroke caused by atherosclerosis – an artery may become blocked by progressive thickening of its walls
an ischaemic stroke caused by embolism – a clot blocks an artery and prevents blood getting to part of the brain.
The brain cells in the immediate area are killed because they are deprived of oxygen. The dead area that results from stroke is known as an infarct. Without prompt medical treatment, the area of brain cells surrounding the infarct will also die.

Risk factors of stroke

Some stroke risk factors can’t be controlled. These include gender, age and family history. However, many stroke risk factors are lifestyle related. Everyone can reduce their risk of having a stroke by making a few simple lifestyle changes.

Lifestyle-related factors that increase your risk of stroke include:

high blood pressure
cigarette smoking
diabetes
high blood cholesterol levels
heavy drinking
a diet high in fat (particularly saturated) and salt, but low in fibre, fruit and vegetables
lack of regular exercise
obesity.
Another important risk factor, particularly as you get older, includes atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat).

Overall risk increases when multiple risk factors are present. Your doctor should assess this overall risk (called ‘absolute risk’) using a tool that calculates your risk of stroke and heart disease based on your age, sex, blood pressure, smoking history, cholesterol levels, and whether you have diabetes. Your doctor will also consider other factors such as if you have atrial fibrillation or kidney disease.

High blood pressure and stroke

High blood pressure (hypertension) is the most significant risk factor for stroke. Blood pressure refers to the pressure inside the arteries. Normal blood pressure is around 120/80, while high-normal blood pressure is 120/80 to 140/90. High blood pressure is when your blood pressure is consistently over 140/90. This is called ‘hypertension’.

Hypertension means that the blood is exerting more pressure than is normal or healthy. Over time, this weakens and damages blood vessel walls, which can lead to stroke, particularly cerebral haemorrhage.

Hypertension may also cause thickening of the artery walls, resulting in narrowing and eventual blockage of the vessel (ischaemic stroke). In atherosclerosis, the pressure of your pumping blood could ‘hose off’ debris from damaged artery walls. The circulating debris (called emboli) can cause a stroke by lodging in and blocking a blood vessel in the brain.

Strategies to reduce high blood pressure include:

Check your blood pressure regularly and know your numbers.
Maintain a healthy weight for your height.
Exercise regularly.
Choose a low-fat, high-fibre diet.
Reduce or eliminate salt from your diet.
Limit your alcohol intake to two or fewer standard drinks per day.
Stop smoking.
Take antihypertensive medications to help control high blood pressure.
Atherosclerosis and stroke

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the walls of the arteries and is a major cause of stroke. The term ‘atherosclerosis’ literally translates as hardening of the arteries. Healthy arteries are flexible and smooth-walled, allowing unimpeded blood flow. Arteries affected by atherosclerosis become stiff, inflexible and narrowed by deposits of cholesterol-laden ‘plaque’.

This plaque destabilises the lining of the artery and can lead to the formation of blood clots within the vessel (atherothrombosis). These clots can then either block the artery or break off and flow downstream in the blood, lodging in a smaller vessel (embolism).

Either of these events (atherothrombosis or embolism) can cause an ischaemic stroke. Atherosclerosis can also weaken the walls of smaller arteries and result in haemorrhagic strokes.

Treatment for atherosclerosis includes:

appropriate lifestyle changes
medications that reduce the amount of fats circulating in the blood
antiplatelet medications (such as aspirin) or anticoagulant drugs (such as warfarin) to prevent blood clots forming
antihypertensive medications to reduce high blood pressure.
Carotid artery stenosis

Hardening of the arteries in the neck (carotid arteries) can be a high risk for stroke, because these arteries are responsible for delivering blood to the brain. Atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries causes narrowing. This is called carotid artery stenosis or carotid stenosis.

Most people with carotid stenosis are not aware of the condition until they have a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or stroke. A TIA is a powerful warning that a full stroke is pending, possibly within hours, days, weeks or months. Apart from medications to control atherosclerosis, treatment may include surgery to unblock the carotid arteries.

Smoking and stroke

Smoking can double or even quadruple your risk of stroke. Some of the chemicals in cigarette smoke (such as nicotine and carbon monoxide) accelerate the process of atherosclerosis (narrowing of arteries). Clots are more likely to form because smoking thickens the blood and makes clotting factors, such as platelets, much more ‘sticky’. Cigarette smoke forces arteries to constrict (get narrower), which makes it harder for the thickened blood to move through the vessels.

Strategies to quit smoking include:

Call the Quitline for further advice and support.
See your doctor for information and advice.
Decide on a strategy, such as ‘cold turkey’ or using nicotine replacement therapy.
Keep a smoking diary so that you are aware of your smoking triggers (such as stress or boredom).
Ask your family and friends for support.
Don’t be discouraged by a slip-up. If you smoke a cigarette, put it behind you and keep going

If you wish to read more on the article,you can check www.myhealthgist.com