Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Reduce Stroke Risk By Knowing Symptoms

Another good reason to get serious about reducing your risk of stroke: You may also stave off the devastation of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), according to the June '97 John Hopkins Medical Letter Health After 50 .

Recent research has indicated one or two strokes in susceptible areas of the brain, even tiny strokes causing no detectable symptoms, can trigger AD, or worsen its symptoms.

The most common type of strokes, the medical letter emphasized, are those associated with atherosclarosis, or the thickening of blood vessels throughout the body, called ischemic strokes.

These occur when a blood clot in one of the brain's arteries deprives an area of oxygen. Fortunately, these are the kind of strokes you can prevent.

Action steps for preventing stroke and AD are:

• Avoid or quit smoking.

• Control your blood pressure. High blood pressure is considered the most important controllable risk factor for stroke.

• Exerecise. Regular exercise leads to weight loss, which reduces your chances of diabetes and hypertension.

• Curb alcohol intake. Excessive alcohol intake, more than two drinks per day, raises blood pressure and binge drinking can lead to a stroke.

• Talk to your doctor about whether you would benefit from taking a daily baby aspirin as a stroke preventive.

Any of the following signs of stroke, which may persist or last but a few minutes, should send you to the emergency room:

• Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg on one side of the body;

• Sudden dimness or loss of vision, particularly in one eye;

• Loss of or difficulty with speech;

• Unexplained dizziness or unsteadiness; or

• Sudden, severe headaches.