Newly Advised Stroke Recommendations

The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association update stroke guidelines to potentially prevent first-time strokes. Stroke is the fourth leading cause of the death in the world---in fact seven hundred and ninety six thousands strokes occur each year----but they are preventable. High risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, smoking and obesity. The new guidelines advise people to cut back on sodium and consume more potassium to regulate blood pressure. New blood thinning medications and the use of statins were also advised to high risk stroke patients in addition to maintaining a healthy diet and routine exercise. Also an online tool used to assess one's risk for stroke is also suggested. The tool estimates your stroke risk based on race, age, gender, cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure and smoking. There is also a downloadable app called the ASCVD risk estimator to assess your ten year stroke risk. For more information on preventing a stroke, visit www.heart.org