A stroke happens when blood flow to a part of your brain is cut off. Without the oxygen in blood, brain cells start dying within minutes. To help prevent a stroke, learn about the causes and the things that can raise your odds of getting one.
Types
It can happen in two main ways: Something blocks the flow of blood, or something causes bleeding in the brain.
Ischemic. In 8 out of 10 strokes, a blood vessel that takes blood to your brain gets plugged. It happens when fatty deposits in arteries break off and travel to the brain or when poor blood flow from an irregular heartbeat forms a blood clot.
Hemorrhagic. It’s less common than an ischemic stroke but can be more serious. A blood vessel in your brain balloons up and bursts, or a weakened one leaks. Uncontrolled high blood pressure and taking too much blood thinner medicine can lead to this kind of it.
Some people have what’s called a transient ischemic attack (TIA). This “mini stroke” is due to a temporary blockage. It doesn’t cause permanent brain damage, but it raises your odds of having a full-scale stroke.
Causes
You can treat some conditions that make you more likely to have a stroke. Other things that put you at risk can’t be changed:
High blood pressure. Your doctor may call it hypertension. It’s the biggest cause of it. If your blood pressure is typically 140/90 or higher, your doctor will discuss treatments with you.
Tobacco. Smoking or chewing it raises your odds of it. Nicotine makes your blood pressure go up. Cigarette smoke causes a fatty buildup in your main neck artery. It also thickens your blood and makes it more likely to clot. Even secondhand smoke can affect you.
Heart Disease. This condition includes defective heart valves as well as atrial fibrillation, or irregular heartbeat, which causes a quarter all of it among the very elderly. You can also have clogged arteries from fatty deposits.
Diabetes. People who have Diabetes often have high blood pressure and are more likely to be overweight. Both raise the chance of it. Diabetes damages your blood vessels, which makes it more likely. If you have it when your blood sugar levels are high, the injury to your brain is greater.
Weight and exercise. Your chances of a stroke may go up if you’re overweight. You can lower your odds by working out every day. Take a brisk 30-minute walk, or do muscle-strengthening exercises like pushups and working with weights.
Medications. Some medicines can raise your chances it. For instance, blood-thinning drugs, which doctors suggest to prevent blood clots, can sometimes make it more likely through bleeding. Studies have linked hormone therapy, used for menopause symptoms like hot flashes, with a higher risk of strokes. And low-dose estrogen in birth control pills may also make your odds go up.
Age. Anyone could have a stroke, even babies in the womb. Generally, your chances go up as you get older. They double every decade after age 55.
Family. It can run in families. You and your relatives may share a tendency to get high blood pressure or diabetes. Some of it can be brought on by a genetic disorder that blocks blood flow to the brain.
Gender. Women are slightly less likely to have it than men of the same age. But women have strokes at a later age, which make them less likely to recover and more likely to die as a result.
Get Healthier and Fitter this 2023! Avail our Free Trial NOW!
Find this blog helpful? Read more of our blogs here!
