How To Prevent Stroke

Everywhere you look there are articles about the devastating effects of stroke. As the number 2 killer and disabler of adults in my own country (Australia) and a major problem in many others, stroke affects almost everyone in some way.

However, while there is a surfeit of information about the after-effects, there is very little published information about stroke prevention. This is somewhat ironic, as published medical research indicates that around 80% of strokes could be prevented by identifying personal risk factors and making a few minor lifestyle changes.

Some quick facts: 9 out of 10 adults display at least one risk factor for stroke, and 25% display 3 or more.

In the United States of America, stroke costs $62 billion annually in the costs of care, treatment and lost productivity. In Australia, it's $2.14 billion per year.

In Australia, stroke affects around 60,000 citizens every year - that's one stroke every 10 minutes.

Although associated mostly with the elderly, 25% occur between the ages of 45 and 64 (the prime of one's working life) and 7% of strokes strike those aged 18 - 44.

One in five people having a first-ever stroke die within one month and one in three die within a year.

Once a stroke has occurred, you must receive intensive medical attention within 3 hours in order to avoid severe long-term brain damage.

As a result of this fact, most people assume that stroke strikes suddenly - and it does! But there are often signs leading up to stroke for a few years beforehand. It's certainly much less problematic to identify these signs than to take steps in the 3 hours after a stroke has occurred.

Stroke Prevention is achieved through maintenance of a healthy lifestyle: a combination of diet, regular exercise, monitoring your weight and other factors. It's certainly not difficult, and can have other beneficial effects as well, including a lowering of blood pressure, reduction of heart disease, increased alertness and more.

For more information about stroke prevention, see my web site: http://www.HowToPreventStroke.com

About the Author

Neville D Christie is a business mentor, entrepreneur and author living in Melbourne, Australia. 2 years ago Neville's wife, Johanna, suffered a major stroke. Neville now dedicates some of his time to authoring articles about the prevention of stroke and living with a stroke victim.