SIMPLE WAY TO STOP A STROKE
Even one small change can help dodge a killer
THEY say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. But when it comes to strokes, a little knowledge could stop you falling victim to the country’s fourth biggest cause of death.
Only 6% of adults think they’re at high risk of a stroke, despite the fact that one in every five adults in the UK will have one in their lifetime, research has found.
A survey commissioned by the UK’s leading stroke charity shows this may be because people don’t know what puts them at risk.
Yet the Stroke Association says if more people were aware of the risk factors, even one small change to their lifestyle could help them avoid a stroke.
Half (47%) of the country don’t know that high blood pressure is a top risk factor for stroke. Blood pressure is one of the biggest causes and 55% of stroke patients have hypertension (high blood pressure) when they suffer a stroke.
This is concerning because conservative estimates predict that while as many as one in six adults have high blood pressure, only 14% of people would focus on their blood pressure to reduce their stroke risk.
Worryingly, knowledge of the top risk factors was low across the board in the survey:
■ Three in four people don’t know weight is a top risk factor for a stroke
■ Nine out of 10 people don’t know that your diet can increase your risk of stroke
■ Three in four people said they have had no information about stroke reduction recently.
And this rockets to over four in five of over65s – who are those most at risk of having a stroke.
Nine in 10 strokes are associated with elements of your lifestyle that can be changed to reduce your risk.
According to the INTERSTROKE study, the world’s largest examination of stroke causes, the alterable risk factors that cause the most strokes in countries such as the UK are high blood pressure, high body weight and poor diet.