Risk Factors and Symptoms
There are many risk factors for stroke. These include:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and other heart problems, including atrial fibrillation and other heart disease
- Diabetes Mellitus
- High cholesterol
- Age - the risk of a stroke doubles for each decade of life after age 55
- Family history of stroke
- Race - Americans of African descent have a higher risk of death from stroke than Caucasians, resulting from higher risk of hypertension, diabetes and obesity
- Gender - Men have more strokes than women, although more women than men die from stroke
Additional risk factors include:
- Sickle Cell Anemia
- Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (see Antiphospholipid Antibodies test page)
- Unhealthy lifestyle, including smoking, abusing cocaine or other illegal drugs or alcohol, eating a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol, and not exercising
Most strokes are preceded by one or more mini-strokes (called transient ischemic attacks or TIAs) that should act as a warning to seek medical attention immediately. While symptoms of a stroke typically persist, symptoms of a TIA typically resolve on their own within a few hours. The five most common symptoms of a stroke or TIA are:
- Sudden numbness, weakness, or paralysis of the face, arm, or leg, usually on one side of the body
- Sudden loss of speech or trouble talking or understanding what is said
- Sudden dizziness, loss of balance, coordination, or trouble walking
- Sudden blurred vision or difficulty seeing in one or both eyes
- Severe, unexplained headache
