Every 40 seconds someone in the U.S. has a stroke. And one in four stroke survivors will have another one. That from the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.
“So it’s very important to take that first stroke as a warning sign that you’re at higher risk for strokes in the future and any lifestyle changes, take medication and try to do your best to prevent any future strokes.”
That’s Dr. Monica Scarsella, Vascular Neurologist with Bronson Methodist Hospital. She says its important to recognize American Stroke Month.
“Especially on prevention of stroke and heart disease because it’s one of the very few diseases that we can prevent with our lifestyle-so that includes exercise, healthy eating, interacting with others, staying close with our primary care doctors, and focus on other risk factors and that includes obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes.”
The Stroke Association notes a stroke can happen to anyone at any time. However, the burden and risk of stroke is higher among Black and Hispanic adults in the U.S. This is in part due to unmanaged risk factors including high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. But Dr. Scarsella again notes, a large majority of strokes can be prevented through education and lifestyle changes. She recommends the mediterranean diet as a good one to follow as well as 30 minutes of exercise at least 3-4 days a week. In addition, the Association offers three ways to beat a stroke, which include, learning how to spot a stroke, know your blood pressure numbers, keeping them in a healthy range and prevent another stroke by managing risk factors.
More information can be found at www.stroke.org/strokemonth.
