Risk factors that can be changed, treated or medically managed:
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes mellitus (in some cases)
- Heart disease
- Cigarette smoking
- History of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)
- High red blood cell count
- High blood cholesterol and lipids
- Lack of exercise or physical activity
- Obesity
- Excessive alcohol use
- Drug abuse, especially cocaine or intravenous drugs
Learn the statistics of a stroke
Risk factors that cannot be managed or changed:
- Age
- Race
- Diabetes mellitus (in some cases)
- Heredity or genetics
- Prior stroke or heart attack
Other factors that affect stroke risk:
- Where you live - strokes are more common in the Southeast
- Temperature, season and climate - deaths from stroke occur more often in times of extreme temperatures
- Socioeconomic factors - some unexplained evidence indicates stroke is more common among lower-income people
