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Brain Attack: Stroke Warning Signs and Risk Factors
Risk Factors for a Stroke
Stroke prevention is still the best medicine. The most important treatable conditions
linked to stroke are:
- High blood pressure. Treat it. Eat a balanced diet, maintain a
healthy weight, and exercise to reduce blood pressure. Drugs are also available.
- Cigarette smoking. Quit. Medical help is available to help
quit.
- Heart disease. Manage it. Your doctor can treat your heart
disease and may prescribe medication to help prevent the formation of clots. If you are
over 50, NINDS scientists believe you and your doctor should make a decision about aspirin
therapy.
- Diabetes. Control it. Treatment can delay complications that
increase the risk of stroke.
- Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). Seek help. TIAs are small
strokes that only last for a few minutes or hours. They should never be ignored and can be
treated with drugs or surgery.
Symptoms of a Stroke
If you observe one or more of these symptoms of a stroke or "brain attack,"
don't wait, call a doctor or 911 right away!
- Sudden numbness, weakness or paralysis of the face, arm, or leg especially on one side
of the body.
- Sudden confusion, trouble talking, or understanding speech.
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
- Sudden trouble walking, loss of balance or coordination.
Symptoms may last a few moments and then disappear. They are signs of a serious
condition that won't go away without medical help.
Last Updated: March 22, 1999.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD 20892
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