If people hurt, they go to the doctor. If they don't hurt, they don't go to the doctor. Some or all of these can foreshadow the onset of stroke - the blockage of blood flow to the brain from a clogged or ruptured artery. Risk factors are varied. Schumacher says having high blood pressure can increase the risk of suffering a stroke by a factor of six.
Uncontrolled diabetes can increase risk by up to four times.
There are so many ways to control it, so many modifiable risk factors that people can take control of. Taming high blood pressure can be as simple as exercising and losing weight, Peitz says. Still, for reasons unexplained, she adds that some people need medication to curb the condition. Somewhere, someone else just died from a stroke. In three minutes 18 seconds, someone else will.