Stroke Patient Portfolio (PDF) - Buckinghamshire County Council

Preventing a StrokeIt is difficult to pinpoint one cause of stroke, but there are certainfactors which can increase the risk of stroke. This often has no obvious symptomsand you usually do not feel ill. Loweringblood pressure can help to reduce therisk of stroke.High blood pressure can be lowered bymedication. If your blood pressure islowered and then remains low, your drugdose may be reduced, but it is rarelywithdrawn completely. It is importantthat you continue to have your bloodpressure checked to make sure that itdoesn’t rise again. You can ask your GPor practice nurse about checking yourblood pressure.In some people, blood thinners can lessenthe chance of a further stroke. Thesehelp to prevent the blood from becoming‘sticky’ and forming clots. You should onlytake medicines that have been prescribedfor you by your doctor or the hospital.Smoking can dramatically increase yourrisk of stroke. By giving up smokingcompletely, you can more than halve yourrisk of stroke.Nicotine and tobacco smoke containover 4000 chemicals which are depositedin the lungs or absorbed into the bloodstream. Some of these damage the liningsof our blood vessel walls causing them tonarrow and fur.This increases the chances of a clotforming and lodging in an artery inthe brain. Smoking also increases thestickiness of the blood cells calledplatelets, which increases the risk ofblood clots forming in major arteriesto the brain and heart. Smoking alsoincreases the risk of high blood pressure,which is one of the main risk factors forstroke.People who smoke are 2-3 times morelikely to have a stroke than those whodon’t. The more you smoke the greateryour risk. The danger starts quite youngin stroke terms. In male and femalesmokers under the age of 55, smokingappears to be a particularly prominentrisk factor. Smoking is particularlydangerous for people who have highblood pressure. They are 5 times morelikely to have a stroke than smokers withnormal blood pressure and 20 timesmore likely to have a stroke than nonsmokerswith normal blood pressure.Passive smoking may also be hazardous.Research shows that those who live orwork in a smoky atmosphere are twiceas likely to have a stroke compared withthose who don’t.There are a number of methods and aidswhich can help you to give up, includingnicotine gum and patches. Please aska member of the team or your GP formore information and advice. You willfind the details of organisations that canhelp in the ‘Useful Contacts’ section.30