Natural Health Care

The most important risk factors in stroke are hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and cigarette smoking. Other factors include high alcohol intake, high blood cholesterol, illicit drugs and genetic or congenital conditions, particularly vascular abnormalities. People with more than one risk factor have what is known as an “amplification of risk”. This means that multiple risk factors increase their destructive effects and create a greater overall risk than the simple cumulative effect of individual risk factors.

Hypertension

Of all risk factors that contribute to stroke, the most powerful is hypertension or high blood pressure. People with hypertension are at increased risk of stroke that is four to six times higher risk than those without hypertension. A third of the adult U.S. population, approximately 50 million people (including 40 to 70 percent of those who now have more than 65 years of age) suffer high blood pressure. 40 to 90 percent of people who have strokes, high blood pressure have to occur before the stroke.

A systolic pressure of 120 mm Hg over a diastolic pressure of 80 mm Hg is generally considered normal. A persistently high blood pressure greater than 140 over 90 leads to a diagnosis of an illness called hypertension. The impact of hypertension in the overall risk of stroke decreases as age increases, so additional factors play a major role in the overall risk of stroke in older adults. In people without hypertension, the absolute risk of stroke increases over time until around the age of 90 years, when the absolute risk becomes the same as those with hypertension.

As with stroke, there is a difference between women and men in the prevalence of hypertension. In younger people, hypertension is more common among men than among women with increasing age, more women than men have hypertension. This difference in hypertension between men and women and by age, you probably have an impact on the incidence and prevalence of stroke in these populations.

The antihypertensive medication can reduce the risk of stroke in a person. Recent studies indicate that treatment can decrease the incidence of stroke by 38 percent and reduce mortality rates by 40 percent. Among the common antihypertensive agents include adrenergic agents, beta blockers, converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin blockers, calcium channel blockers, diuretics and vasodilators.

“The most important risk factors for stroke are hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and cigarette smoking.”

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