Steps to lower your risk of stroke

May is National Stroke Awareness Month. Preventing a stroke is a crucial aspect of health care, as about 80% of all strokes are preventable.

A stroke results from a blocked or torn blood vessel that decreases blood flow to the brain. Tips for lowering stroke risk include maintaining blood pressure under 130/80 and keeping cholesterol and blood glucose at appropriate levels.

“Other modifiable risks include things like smoking cessation, treatment of sleep apnea with a CPAP device and some other potential treatments,” said Dr. Stephen English, a Mayo Clinic neurologist. “We want to make sure that the risk factors are mitigated to help reduce the long-term risk of stroke.”

There are risk factors for stroke that cannot be changed.

“The first is age, so age greater than 55; males; people that have a family history of prior stroke; and then people that are of African American descent,” English said.

— MAYO CLINIC NEWS NETWORK