Truth About Strokes

Stroke is known to be a leading cause of long term disability and death in America nowadays. There are numerous of people being killed by this devastating disease, one every three minutes and every 45 seconds there is someone experiencing a stroke.

A stroke is a cardiovascular disease where in the arteries that carry the blood from the heart to the body is blocked by a blood clot or a blood vessel within the body bursts shunting the blood flow to the brain. If either of these happen, the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen that is needed, brain cells die and results in to damage to the brain.

When a particular part of the brain is damaged due to lack of blood flow, a part of the body is also affected. Stroke can cause paralysis and abnormal movement of the body and it can affect speech and vision. A certain part of the body is affected depending on the area and how much of the brain is damage.

There are numerous risk factors that can influence the attack of strokes People mostly have strokes when they are older and double the risk after 55 years old. Genetically, a person is also at risk when someone in the family had a stroke, and if you have had stroke there is a large chance that you will have one again in the next five years if you don't take proper care of yourself.

A person can have stroke if he has bad eating habits; if the diet is not well balanced that can lead to excessive weight and eventually to increased intake of cholesterol, hypertension and sometimes to diabetes mellitus - all of which negatively impact the cardiovascular system. One of the leading causes of stroke is smoking which can destroy blood vessels, clog arteries, increase blood pressure and double the work load on the heart.

There are signs that usually indicate that a stroke is impending. These include numbness or tingling sensations on a particular part of the body, problems in vision and sometimes headache can be indicative of a stroke. It is important to be aware of these warning signs especially if you have high blood pressure.

Stroke is largely preventable especially with those risk factors that can be controlled. Starting with your eating habits, you should attempt to change to a healthy lifestyle. Since smoking can also be controlled it is time to quit that habit too. If you eat right, exercise and control your high blood pressure, your risk of stroke will be greatly diminished. You should discuss your stroke risk with your doctor since he will be familiar with your medical condition. He will be able to tell you what your risk level is and how you can go about reducing it.