Anyone Can Have a Stroke
In the United States there are more than 6 million stroke survivors with at least two-thirds of them left disabled as a result of their stroke. Out of the over 700`000 strokes that occur in this country approximately 500`000 of these are first time occurrences with the remaining 200`000 happening to people who have previously suffered a stroke.
Though your risk of stroke doubles each decade after the age of 55, strokes know no age limit, they can and DO occur at any age. Almost one quarter of strokes occur in people UNDER the age of 65. The irony of strokes is that 80% of them ARE preventable, however the major problem is that most people do not know enough about strokes NOR their risk factors of having one. 1 in 4 Americans could not name a SINGLE stroke risk factor. Knowing your risk factors is vital in the prevention of strokes. Risk factors include:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Family history of stroke
- Obesity
- History of previous strokes
- Smoking
If you are a smoker, it exposes you to a four times greater risk of suffering a stroke, as well as doubling a non-smokers chance of having a stroke due to secondhand smoke. A stroke can result in partial or permanent paralysis and have long-term effects on a person such as memory loss, post stroke pain, depression, difficulty swallowing, speech and or language difficulties and behavioral changes to name a few. Strokes can happen in an instant and have a possibly lifelong and devastating effect on the victim. Don`t be a victim when it can be prevented with the right lifestyle changes and information. To learn more about assessing your risk for stroke, talk to your healthcare professional and visit:strokecenter.stanford.edu/consent.html