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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is at risk for stroke?

Stroke
It is a myth that stroke occurs only in older adults. A person of any age can have a stroke. But, stroke risk does increase with age. For every 10 years after the age of 55, the risk of stroke doubles, and two-thirds of all strokes occur in people over 65 years old. Stroke also seems to run in some families. Stroke risk doubles for a woman if someone in her immediate family (mom, dad, sister, or brother) has had a stroke.
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Is there any test that can tell if I'm at risk for a stroke?

Frequently Asked Cardiac Questions - Dr Barry J Bellovin MD ...
There are some ways to tell, although they're not foolproof. A carotid artery doppler test is a non-invasive way to check for blockages in the major arteries leading to the brain. An EKG and a Holter monitor can look for any evidence of atrial fibrillation. This type of arrhythmia, because it results in areas of stagnant blood in the heart, can predispose to strokes.
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What Are the Risk Factors of Stroke?

Pain & Stroke Rehab Centre - Frequently Asked Questions ...
The American Stroke Association has identified several factors that increase the risk of stroke. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that he or she will have a stroke. Some of these you can't control, such as increasing age, family health history, race and gender. But you can change or treat most other risk factors to lower your risk. Factors resulting from lifestyle or environment can be modified with a healthcare provider's help.
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Stroke FAQs - Norton Healthcare
The most common risk factors for stroke are listed below. They include some conditions that can be changed by modifying your lifestyle or seeking medical treatment, as well as conditions that cannot be changed, such as hereditary factors. High blood pressure (hypertension) is the single most important risk factor for stroke. Even mild hypertension, if not adequately treated, increases your risk for stroke. Generally, a blood pressure of 120/80 or lower is ideal.
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What Are the Risk Factors for Stroke among People with Nonrheumatic Atrial Fibrillation?

FAQ's Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation and Other Cardiac So...
In patients with atrial fibrillation, the following situations are considered as risk factors for stroke: Figures given by the multivariate analysis of predictors of stroke in control patients enrolled in randomized controlled trials on warfarin in the primary prevention of stroke in patients with atria] fibrillation.
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What Is the Annual Risk of Stroke among People with Nonrheumatic Atrial Fibrillation?

FAQ's Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation and Other Cardiac So...
The annual risk of stroke among people with non-rheumatic atrial fibrillation is on average 5% per year, increasing with age and other major risk factors. Recent data suggest that patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic AF have a similar risk of stroke. Furthermore, a third of patients with paroxysmal AF develop chronic AF over 2-3 years. The risk is similar in men and in women.
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What are some of the high risk factors for stroke?

Heart diseases :: Cardiovascular problems :: Frequently aske...
There is an increased risk if you have a family history of stroke or transient ischemic attacks (mini-strokes - also called TIA's). Also, more strokes occur in men. African-Americans have an increased risk of stroke, which in part is thought to be related to genetic factors. A high-fat diet, high blood pressure, exessive alcohol consumption, and being overweight all increase one's risk of having a stroke.
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How can I lower my risk of having a stroke?

All About Stroke - All About Diabetes - American Diabetes As...
You can lower your risk by keeping your blood glucose (sugar), blood pressure, and cholesterol on target with meal planning, physical activity, and medication. Quitting smoking is important too. Every step you take will help. The closer your numbers are to your targets, the better your chances of preventing a stroke.
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What is a stroke?

Newswise
Stroke is an abrupt interruption of constant blood flow to the brain that causes loss of neurological function. The interruption of blood flow can be caused by a blockage, leading to the more common ischemic stroke, or by bleeding in the brain, leading to the more deadly hemorrhagic stroke. In any event, proper blood flow and oxygen must be restored to the brain as soon as possible. Without oxygen and important nutrients, the affected brain cells are either damaged or die within a few minutes.
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Stroke
A stroke is sometimes called a "brain attack." A stroke can injure the brain like a heart attack can injure the heart. A stroke occurs when part of the brain doesn't get the blood it needs. Ischemic stroke (most common type) -- This type of stroke happens when blood is blocked from getting to the brain. This often happens because the artery is clogged with fatty deposits (atherosclerosis) or a blood clot.
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Stroke Frequently Asked Questions
Stroke, or brain attack, is damage to part of the brain caused by sudden block of its blood supply by a clot. Less commonly it occurs when a clot travels through the blood vessel from one part of the body to the brain (embolism) or when there is rupture of blood vessel and bleeding into the brain (haemorrhage). When blood flows to the brain stops, brain cells in that part of the brain may die. Stroke may damage parts of the brain that control how you move, feel, speak, think and behave.
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Is there an increased risk of stroke for migraine sufferers?

National Headache Foundation: Headache FAQ
While the severity of a migraine attack often causes patients to fear they are having a stroke, the likelihood of a migraine attack causing a stroke is very remote. That is not to say that migraine sufferers cannot have a stroke associated with their migraines. In persons under age 40, the most common associated factor for stroke is migraine headache.
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How do I know whether I’m at high risk for a stroke?

All About Stroke - All About Diabetes - American Diabetes As...
You can’t change your family history, but taking care of your diabetes and the conditions that come with it can lower your chances of having a stroke. It’s up to you.
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How can I reduce my risk of heart disease and stroke?

Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program
Be tobacco free - Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of heart disease in the US. Tobacco makes your blood clot easier, stiffens the walls of the arteries, increases your blood pressure, and deprives your heart of needed oxygen. The message is simple: if you use tobacco, stop and stay tobacco free; if you don't, don't start . And the good news is that the health benefits of quitting smoking are almost immediate. One year after quitting smoking, heart attack is cut in half.
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DHDSP - Stroke - FAQs - DHDSP
Some conditions as well as some lifestyle factors can put people at a higher risk for stroke. The most important risk factors for stroke are high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and cigarette smoking. Persons who have already had a stroke need to control the risk factors in order to lower their risk of having another stroke. All persons can take steps to lower their risk for stroke. For more information about these risk factors, please see our Risk Factors section.
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What can you do to reduce your risk of stroke?

DHDSP - Stroke - FAQs - DHDSP
All persons can take steps to lower their risk of stroke by maintaining normal blood pressure levels or controlling high blood pressure, preventing or treating heart disease and stroke, and by not using tobacco.
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What about neck adjustments and the risk of stroke?

Hanft Family Chiropractic - FAQ / Myths
Every published study which has estimated the incidence of stroke (CVA) from cervical (neck) manipulation has agreed that the risk is 1 to 3 incidents per million treatments. Dvorak, in a survey of 203 practitioners of manual medicine in Switzerland, found a rate of one serious complication per 400,000 cervical manipulations, without any reported deaths, among an estimated 1.5 million cervical manipulations.
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What did FDA know about the risk of heart attack and stroke when it approved Vioxx?

FDA: Vioxx (rofecoxib) Recall Questions and Answers
The FDA originally approved Vioxx in May 1999. The original safety database included approximately 5000 patients on Vioxx and did not show an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. A later study, VIGOR (VIOXX GI Outcomes Research), was primarily designed to look at the effects of Vioxx on side effects such as stomach ulcers and bleeding and was submitted to the FDA in June 2000.
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Is Hyperglycemia Itself a Risk Factor for Stroke?

FAQ's Diabetes and Stroke
Most studies have observed an independent association, in both men and women, of diabetes with relative risks of ischemic stroke. There is also evidence to support a positive association between the degree of glucose intolerance and an increased risk of stroke. In the prospective Honolulu Heart Study, the prevalence of thromboembolic stroke was increased in those people with a glycemia > 6.
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Which Are the Modifiable Risk Factors for Stroke?

FAQ's Epidemiology of Stroke
In middle and late adult life, hypertension is undoubtedly the strongest modifiable risk factor for both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Hypertension is present in approximately 70% of stroke cases. The risk of stroke rises in proportion to blood pressure, for males as well as for females, and almost doubles for every 7.5 mm Hg increment in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) [Collins and McMahon, 1994].
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Will estrogen increase my risk of heart disease, stroke, or blood clots?

FAQ for Dr. John R. Woodward
In my view the discrepancy occurred because two-thirds of the women in the WHI study did not start taking the estrogen until after age 60. Pre-menopausal women nonsmokers rarely have fatal heart attacks. When estrogen (estradiol) production by the ovaries ceases between ages 45 and 55 (menopause) heart attacks in women (but not men) rise precipitously; equaling the rate in men by age 60 and surpassing men by age 65.
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Will ACTOS increase my risk of having a heart attack or stroke?

ACTOS, A Type 2 Diabetes Treatment: Frequently Asked Questio...
In clinical studies, ACTOS did not increase the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. The ACTOS product information includes FDA-reviewed data from a study of more than 5,000 high-risk patients with a history of macrovascular disease (ie, recent heart attack, stroke, bypass surgery, etc). In this study, there was no difference in the number of macrovascular events (such as heart attacks or strokes) between patients taking ACTOS and those not taking ACTOS. ACTOS is not for everyone.
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