Wellness Center


Stroke Prevention & Recovery

Stroke Risk Factors

A number of lifestyle factors influence your risk of suffering a stroke. By learning if (or how) your lifestyle increases your risk, you can take action to reduce your likelihood of stroke. Here are some primary risk factors:

  Age Your risk for stroke increases with age, doubling every decade after age 55.
  Gender Men and women have an equal incidence of stroke. But more women die of stroke than men.
  Race African Americans have a greater risk of stroke due to a higher incidence of high blood pressure.
  Blood pressure High blood pressure (defined as 140/90+) is a factor in nearly 70 percent of all strokes.
  Health history Your risk of stroke is increased if you have:
  1. A family history of early stroke stroke (before age 65).
  2. Already experienced a stroke, TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack or mini-stroke), or have another peripheral artery disease.
  3. Heart disease (including coronary artery disease, a past heart attack, congestive heart failure, carotid artery disease, or nonvalvular atrial fibrillation) more than doubles your risk of stroke.
  Diabetes mellitus Diabetes is an independent risk factor, although it is often linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and being overweight.
  Smoking Stroke risk is directly related to the amount and number of years smoked. If you're a smoker who also uses oral contraceptives, your risk is greatly increased.
  Overweight Excess body fat, particularly in the abdominal area, significantly increases risk for stroke.
  Sedentary life Inactivity is linked to being overweight, having high blood pressure, and an increased stroke risk.
  Alcohol Drinking more than one drink per day for women and more than two drinks per day for men can lead to stroke.
  Cholesterol High blood cholesterol of over 200 mg/dL contributes to artery disease (atherosclerosis), which increases the risk of stroke.
  Poor diet Stroke risk is increased by high sodium (salt) intake, low calcium intake, low potassium intake, low intake of fruits and vegetables, low vitamin C and folic acid (a B vitamin) intake, low fiber intake, low magnesium intake, low vitamin E intake, and eating excess calories.
  Red blood cell count Even a slight increase in your red blood cell count increases your risk.
  Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), specifically estrogen plus progestin, significantly increases a woman's risk of stroke.
  Other factors Some evidence links increased strokes with:
  1. Extremes in temperature (very hot or very cold), which increases the risk of death from stroke
  2. A lower income level
  3. A lower education level
  4. Drug abuse, such as intravenous drugs and cocaine

Sources:

1. American Stroke Association. What are the risk factors of stroke?
2. National Institutes of Health. NHLBI stops trial of estrogen plus progestin due to increased breast cancer risk, lack of overall benefit.

Written by: Don Hall, DrPH, CHES
Date Published: February 06,2001 Date Reviewed: February 12,2008
Disclaimer:

This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis of specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt professional medical attention if you have a particular concern about your health or specific symptoms. Wellsource, Inc. is not liable for any health consequences resulting from your use of this site.

 

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