Stroke: Factors You Can Control << Heart Health and Stroke << womenshealth.gov

Stroke: Factors You Can Control

You can control the following risk factors by making lifestyle changes. Your doctor might also suggest medicine to help control some risk factors, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

High blood pressure — High blood pressure is the biggest risk factor for stroke. It makes you four to six times more likely to have a stroke.

Heart disease — The second biggest risk factor for stroke is heart disease, especially a condition called atrial fibrillation (fib-ruh-LAY-shuhn). In atrial fibrillation, the top chambers of the heart beat faster than the rest of the heart. The top chambers also beat more irregularly. This means that the blood doesn’t flow through the heart correctly. This can cause clotting. The clots may come loose and travel to the brain, causing a stroke.

Blood cholesterol levels — High LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and low HDL (good) cholesterol can cause plaque buildup in your arteries. This can increase your risk of stroke.

Cigarette smoking — Cigarette smoking has also been linked to plaque buildup in the carotid artery (a major artery that leads to your brain). Smoking increases your stroke risk in several other ways. The nicotine in cigarettes can raise your blood pressure. Carbon monoxide from smoking reduces the amount of oxygen your blood carries to your brain. Finally, cigarette smoking can actually make your blood thicker and more likely to clot.

Obesity — Postmenopausal women with a high blood triglyceride level and a waist size larger than 35 inches are five times more likely to have a stroke than other women.

Diabetes — Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose (sugar) levels are too high. Uncontrolled diabetes damages blood vessels throughout the body and in the brain. Because of this damage, having diabetes triples your risk of stroke.

Heavy alcohol use, illegal drug use — For women, more than one alcoholic drink a day raises stroke risk. Cocaine use is a common cause of stroke in young people. Long-term marijuana smoking may also be a risk factor for stroke.

Pregnancy — Rarely, pregnancy can cause stroke, especially in the first few months after delivery. Pregnancy increases blood pressure, and clots are more easily formed.

Birth control pills or patch — Birth control pills and patches are usually safe for young, healthy women. But women on birth control pills who smoke or have migraines with aura (visual disturbances) have an increased risk of stroke. Women on the patch who smoke also have an increased risk. Researchers still don’t know whether migraines increase stroke risk for women on the patch.

Menopausal hormone therapy — Hormone therapy used to treat menopausal symptoms and prevent osteoporosis can increase stroke risk. If you use menopausal hormone therapy, take the lowest dose for the shortest time. Your doctor can talk more about the benefits and possible risks of menopausal hormone therapy.

Additional Resources

Publications

Brain Basics: Preventing Stroke — This brochure provides information on stroke prevention and how to tell the signs of a stroke. It includes warning signs, an explanation of risk factors, and a description of treatable risk factors.

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/preventing_stroke.htm

Facts About Menopausal Hormone Therapy — This brochure summarizes the risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy. It is designed to provide patients with information to help them communicate more effectively with their doctor or nurse and determine the best course of treatment on an individual basis.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/women/pht_facts.pdf

Live Healthier, Live Longer: Cholesterol Counts for Everyone — Visit this interactive page to find information about preventing heart disease and reducing the risk of having a heart attack for those with heart disease. It features recipes, a "how to" guide for lowering cholesterol, and many engaging activities.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/chd/

Smoking Among Adults: Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke — This supplement to the 2004 Surgeon General's Report on the health consequences of smoking provides information on how heart disease and stroke are related to smoking. Included are statistics on the frequencies of coronary heart disease development caused by smoking.

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/2004/highlights/heart_disease/index.htm...

Smoking and Tobacco Use — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health provides this extensive resource on smoking and other types of tobacco use. It includes educational materials, reports, news, and information on how to quit. It has special sections for kids, teens, adults, community service workers, and more.

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/

Your Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure — This Web site, sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, is an interactive guide that answers common questions about high blood pressure and offers tips and quizzes. It also provides information on medications and suggestions on how to talk to your doctor.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/index.html

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4422

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4716

Organizations

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated: February 1, 2009