According the world health organisation, stroke is the second most common cause of death after ischaemic heart disease worldwide.

Stroke is a neurological deficit that occurs suddenly. It occurs when perfusion to the brain is interrupted by either a thrombus (clot in the blood vessels of the brain), embolism (a clot that migrated from elsewhere in the to the brain) and intracerebral bleeding.

There is usually no immediate forewarning and the severity of the neurological deficit is determined by the brain area that is hypo-perfused.
The best way to avoid a stroke is by managing risk factors one might have. Risk factors that can be modified include hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia, heart disease, smoking, alcohol (alcohol intake beyond a glass a day) and physical inactivity.

Risk factors that cannot be modified are:
Age – greater than 55
Race – incidence is higher in black people
Sex – at certain age groups, men are higher risk of having a stroke
Genetics – inherited conditions predisposing to stroke

A stroke study declared that the risk of stroke is significantly increased when one has two or more risk factors. Lifestyle modification can literally protect you from a stroke and can help prevent a recurrent stroke in those who have already had one.

Dedicate 30 minutes of your 24 hours to some cardiovascular exercise, adopt a low cholesterol diet, stop smoking and keep an eye on your hypertension and diabetes. These changes can save your life.

What are your risk factors and what are YOU doing to modify them?

Yours in brain health,

Dr V Mandita