Stroke statistics can be scary. Each year, 795,000 people in the United States have one, according to the American Stroke Association.
Yet there are encouraging numbers: The ASA and other leading health organizations state that more than 80 percent of strokes are preventable. That’s because most stroke risk factors are modifiable.
In May, recognized as Stroke Awareness Month, you can take meaningful steps to lower your stroke risk with the right knowledge and proactive care.
An acute neurological episode that can cause permanent challenges for survivors, a stroke happens when there’s an interruption to the brain’s blood supply–usually by a blocked artery or bleeding in the brain from a ruptured blood vessel. As a result, the brain’s tissue stops getting the oxygen and nutrients it needs, and brain cells begin to die within minutes.
You need to call 911 at the first sign of any stroke symptoms, which can include facial droop, slurred speech, blurred vision, and more. The sooner you get emergency treatment, the better the chances for recovery and survival.
“You might be eligible for an intervention from medicines we can give, or in extreme cases, a procedure to remove a blood clot. But even without that, there’s a lot we can do to give somebody the best chance of future recovery by getting their risk factors under control,” says Benjamin Zwain, DO, a neurologist with Bon Secours Neurology – Downtown.
The key is prioritizing your health through Life’s Essential 8, a set of guidelines developed by the American Heart Association. They not only can lower the risk for heart disease, but also can help prevent strokes and other major health issues. “These are modifiable risk factors, and the stroke risk can be reduced significantly,” Zwain says.
While a stroke can affect anyone at any age, he adds, as “we age into later decades of life, the more the risks start to compound. So,
prevention becomes more important with each increasing decade of life.”
The Life’s Essential 8 comprise both health behaviors and factors, Zwain says.
There are four health behaviors: eating a well-balanced, fiber-rich diet, exercising for at least 150 minutes each week, quitting smoking, and getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night.
There also are four measurable benchmarks–weight, cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure–that can be managed to prevent strokes. “Know your numbers. People have time to get these checked and work on them,” Zwain says, adding that “the first four behaviors influence the other four factors.”
“If there’s any sort of injury to the body, medical illness, severe seasonal allergies, weather changes—if these eight pillars are strong, then the risk of anything developing into a stroke is much lower,” Zwain says. “But if somebody already has a fragile foundation, and then they have a severe allergy attack and put this further stress on the body, like a spike in blood pressure, that can tip the scale.”
Bon Secours St. Francis offers high quality, compassionate cerebrovascular and stroke care through its Cerebrovascular and Stroke Center at St. Francis Downtown. To learn more about its services, bonsecours.com/locations/specialty-locations/neurology/cerebrovascular-and-stroke-center-at-st-francis-downtown.
