Posts Tagged ‘Risk Factors of Stroke’
Risk Factors of Stroke
What are the risk factors for stroke?
A risk factor is a condition or behavior that occurs more frequently in those who have or may have increased risk of disease than in those without. Having a risk factor for stroke does not mean you have a stroke. On the other hand, not having a risk factor does not mean you will not have a stroke. However, your risk of stroke increases with the number and severity of the risk factors you have.
Strokes occur at any age in both sexes and all races in all countries. These may occur even before birth, when the fetus is still in the womb. In African Americans, stroke is more common and more lethal in young adults and middle-aged than in any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. Scientists continue to find more risk factors and more severe in some minority groups continue to search for similar patterns for stroke in these groups. Read the rest of this entry »
Risk Factors and Stroke Prevention (Part 2)
Risk factors that may cause blood more likely to clot, which can lead to stroke include:
* Birth control pills may increase the likelihood of blood clots, especially in women who smoke and are over 35 years
* Disorders of blood clotting
* Cancer
* Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, vasculitis and ulcerative colitis
* Pregnancy: Women have a higher risk of stroke during pregnancy and the weeks immediately after it
Risk factors for strokes caused by blood clots (emboli) that develop in the heart include:
* Infected or artificial heart valves
* Inflammation of the lining of the heart chambers and valves (endocarditis)
* An attack that is not beating strongly or regularly, which can cause blood to remain in the area of the heart, leading to the formation of a clot. The clot can break off and travel to the brain
Risk Factors and Stroke Prevention (Part 1)
A stroke is an interruption of blood supply to any part of the brain, sometimes called “brain attack.”
There are two main types of stroke: ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke.
When a blood vessel supplying the brain becomes blocked by a blood clot, it is called ischemic stroke. The blockage of the artery can happen in two ways.
* You can form a clot in an artery that is already very close and is called a thrombus. If you block the artery completely, is called thrombotic stroke.
* A blood clot may become dislodged from part of the body and travel to the brain to block a smaller artery. This is called an embolism, causing an embolic stroke.
A second major cause of stroke is bleeding in the brain. This is called a hemorrhagic stroke can occur when small blood vessels in the brain become weak and burst.
Some people have defects in blood vessels of the brain that make this more likely. The flow of blood that occurs after the rupture of blood vessels causes damage to neurons.
Men have more strokes than women.