What causes a stroke? How to prevent it? Who gets it and why? Learn all the answers in this instance and protect yourself against a stroke.
Stroke or stroke occurs when the blood supply to a region of the brain disappears, it is cut off, and the neurons can end up damaged or even dead. To avoid it, today we tell you 7 preventive measures against stroke.
According to the European Society of Cardiology, the population group with the highest risk is that of women, since 60% of stroke deaths occur in this population. What does it consist of? What causes a stroke? How to reduce the risk of suffering it? Discover it!
What is stroke?
It is a cerebrovascular disease that prevents the blood vessels to supply blood to the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries blood to the brain breaks or is blocked by a clot or other particle.
Due to this rupture or blockage, part of the brain does not get the blood, oxygen and glucose flow it needs. The consequence is that the nerve cells in the area of the affected brain do not receive oxygen, so they cannot function and die after a few minutes.
What causes a stroke?
So, what causes a stroke? The practice of bad habits such as smoking and excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages increases the risk of stroke.
Most cases of stroke can be avoided. One out of every six people in the world will suffer a stroke, however, if the risk factors are controlled, up to 80% of the cases could be avoided, according to the experts. The most common risk factors are:
Hyperlipidemia: high cholesterol levels are another of the main risk factors for stroke. In our country, there is an increase in patients with hyperlipidemia.
Smoking: as explained by the Spanish Federation of Brain Damage, different studies point to nicotine, oxidizing gases and carbon monoxide that make up the snuff as guilty of the direct relationship between smoking and increased risk of stroke.
Diabetes: this disease increases the risk of suffering a stroke between 2 and 4 times, especially type 2 diabetes.
Older age: three quarters of strokes affect patients older than 65 years.
Having high blood pressure: high blood pressure is the risk factor that best predicts stroke. In fact, other risks depend on it.
Consuming alcohol in excess: excess alcohol can increase blood pressure, increase obesity, triglycerides, cancer and other diseases, cause heart failure and, consequently, cause a stroke.
Family heritage and race: the risk of suffering a stroke is greater if someone in the family has suffered it. People of African descent have a higher risk of death and disabilities than other populations, in part because high blood pressure has a higher incidence in this race, and this problem is a major risk factor in stroke.
Preventive measures against stroke
Taking into account the risk factors involved, we must focus on those that are modifiable to avoid suffering a stroke. The main preventive measures against stroke are:
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Eat a healthy diet
A healthy diet is crucial for the prevention of stroke. Foods rich in antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids are highly recommended.
The food should be varied, rich and healthy, focused especially on foods with little salt and low in fat. Fruits, vegetables and cereals of whole grains, in addition to fish cannot miss in a diet to make it healthy. The Mediterranean diet is the most suitable in this case.
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Do sport
It is important to exercise regularly and to protect against stroke suffices to be moderately. In fact, walking one hour a day is enough to prevent stroke; although it never hurts to do more sport.
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Stop smoking
Abandonment of tobacco is among the essential requirements to avoid suffering a stroke. After 15 years of quitting, the risk of developing a vascular disease equals that of people who have never smoked.
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Monitor the blood pressure
Blood pressure should be kept within the limits considered healthy, as hypertension is one of the main risk factors for stroke.
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Check cholesterol
Likewise, having healthy cholesterol levels is key to not having a stroke. High cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia) are those higher than 200 mg / dL. If we have high cholesterol, we must resort to diet, exercise and, in some cases, medication.
The periodic measurement of cholesterol levels is key to prevent stroke. It is essential to keep it at stable levels to avoid complications at the cardiovascular level.
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Examine sugar levels
The amount of sugar in blood should also be within the healthy values and as the health authorities and specialists recommend. In the case of diabetics, the treatment must be faithfully followed so that there are no episodes of hyperglycemia.
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Reduce alcohol consumption
The consumption of alcohol should be moderate and even leave it completely in cases in which there are one or several risk factors of suffering a stroke.
Remember that a healthy lifestyle significantly decreases the risk factors of suffering from this disease. Adequate nutrition, frequent exercise and the reduction or elimination of tobacco and alcohol consumption significantly improve the probability of avoiding a stroke.
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