Medically Reviewed by Joshua A. Sibille, MD

Stroke, a scary word, that corresponds to a “heart attack of the brain.” McLeod Vascular Surgeon Joshua Sibille, MD, explains the various factors that put you at increased risk – some of which you can and should control.

Here’s an overview of Dr. Sibille’s comments:

Stroke is very common. There are about 795 thousand strokes in the U.S. every year and about 145-thousand deaths from stroke. That works out to about every four seconds, someone in the country has a stroke and about every four minutes, somebody dies from a stroke. Some 600-thousand of these are first strokes and the remainder are patients who’ve had a previous stroke. About 75% of these occur in patients over the age 65.

So, what do we talk about when you’re looking for signs of a stroke? F-A-S-T is a very common acronym. It’s been for years. It’s an easy way to remember.

• Facial drooping. One side of the face looks different. The mouth or the eyelid droops.
• Arm weakness or leg weakness. Suddenly, an arm or leg on one side of the body doesn’t work.
• Speech difficulty. A patient who normally can speak exhibits trouble finding words or seems to have developed a new stutter.
• T is the time issue. Time equals brain. The faster you get to the hospital, the better your chances of recovery.

There’s also something called a Trans Ischemic Attack (TIA), which is also known as a mini stroke. If the neurological deficits, facial weakness, asymmetrical limb weakness and speech difficulties can totally disappear within 24 hours. A person has about 19% risk of stroke over the next 10 years if they suffer a TIA. Even if your symptoms go away, it’s important to seek medical care.

There’s also Amaurosis Fugax, which is like someone pulled a dark shade over their eye but, then, vision returns. It’s caused by a piece of blood clot going to the retinal artery in the eye. It also is a sign of increased stroke as well.

So, these are small things that don’t necessarily last. They’re not permanent, but it’s still things that if you develop them, you should seek medical care.

The causes of stroke are broken down into two categories.

There’s ischemic, which is the blockage of the blood flow to the brain. It can be caused by atherosclerosis (calcium and hardening of the arteries) or embolic, typically caused by atrial fibrillation. Patients who have an abnormal heartbeat can develop some clot in their heart and that clot can send a little piece to the brain.

About 13% of strokes are hemorrhagic, bleeding into the brain related to blood pressure control. We’re going to talk mostly about the ischemic.

Risk factors:

• For every decade over the age of 55, you double your risk of stroke.
• Stroke is more prevalent in men. However, because women live longer, they end up having more strokes when you look at the total numbers over time.
• You have a 2 times risk if you’re an African-American or Hispanic than if you’re white.
• Any blood pressure higher than 120 over 80 doubles your risk over time.
• If you have a parent, who had a stroke or a heart attack, your risk of stroke is tripled.
• Patients with atrial fibrillation have a 3 times risk as well.
• Smoking increases risk of stroke 2-4 times. After 10 years of not smoking, your risk of a stroke comes back to a nonsmoker’s risk.
• High cholesterol can increase your risk of stroke by about 25%. Exercise will decrease your risk.
• The more you exercise and the longer you exercise, the greater the benefit you realize.
• Diabetes can double your risk.
• With Alcohol, there’s good news and bad news. Excessive drinking or binge drinking increases your risk, but moderate consumption can reduce your risk.

Find a Vascular Specialist near you.