But they won't know it. I think that a lot of physicians and patients and families are going to be surprised by the numbers. We need to do everything possible to have people avoid stroke by changing their lifestyle and following the principles that we already know about and by doing more research to prevent this devastating disease. But it doesn't mean the damage is any less important. Such injury can add up over time, leading to cognitive impairments, failing memory, difficulty walking and, eventually, dementia.
Researchers admit they still have much to learn about silent strokes.
Because they don't exhibit symptoms, silent strokes are only detected when a patient undergoes a brain scan, said Dr. Michael DeGeorgia of the Cleveland Clinic. I don't think we're there yet. They say eating a healthy diet, exercising and cutting out smoking can help protect from both kinds of stroke. Pages will open in a new browser window External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive. An AOL Time Warner Company.