The good news is that if you stop smoking today, within 2 to 5 years your stroke risk will be the same as that of someone who has never smoked. In adults, a cholesterol level of 200 or lower is best. Excess cholesterol can settle on artery walls and lead to the eventual blockage of these vessels by thrombosis. Being overweight strains the entire circulatory system and predisposes you to other stroke risk factors, such as high blood pressure. Although you cannot change these risk factors, you can greatly minimize their impact on your overall stroke risk by concentrating efforts on your controllable stroke risk factors.
Males have a slightly higher stroke risk than females.
African Americans have double the stroke risk of most other racial groups. Circulation problems associated with the disease may increase stroke risk even if blood sugar and insulin levels are closely managed. No direct relationship has yet been demonstrated between stress and stroke risk. A personal history of stroke can increase your risk of recurrent stroke by ten times. In addition to addressing controllable stroke risk factors, some stroke survivors may benefit from prescription medication to reduce their stroke risk.