Stroke rates are rising, with over half a million Americans having a first stroke every year. But up to 80% of strokes may be preventable, which is why it’s so important to understand and mitigate your risk factors. That’s according to the American Stroke Association , which this week released its first new clinical guidelines for strokes in a decade.
The “2024 Guideline for the Primary Prevention of Stroke,” published in the journal Stroke and replacing the 2014 version, focuses on identifying and managing risk factors—particularly for women—and highlights healthy lifestyle behaviors that can lower stroke risk . “The most effective way to reduce the occurrence of a stroke and stroke-related death is to prevent the first stroke—referred to as primary prevention,” said the chair of the guideline writing group, Cheryl D. Bushnell, M.
D., in a news release . “Some populations have an elevated risk of stroke, whether it be due to genetics , lifestyle, biological factors and/or social determinants of health, and in some cases, people do not receive appropriate screening to identify their risk.
” What is a stroke? A stroke is what happens when a blood vessel ruptures or is blocked by a blood clot, interrupting blood flow to the brain. The brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen to function properly, resulting in brain damage that, depending on the severity, can lead to trouble thinking, talking, walking, or other disability . Stroke is the fifth leading cause of d.