Who Needs to Schedule a Stroke Evaluation? 

A stroke is a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked (ischemic stroke), or there’s sudden bleeding in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke). 

Unfortunately, stroke is a common occurrence as well as a leading cause of death in the United States. Fortunately, four in five strokes (80%) are totally preventable. 

In recognition of National Stroke Awareness Month this May, our expert team at Advanced Vascular Surgery is here to shed light on how a preventive stroke evaluation highlights the aspects of your health, lifestyle, and history that raise your stroke risk — and the actions you can take to protect yourself. 

Should you schedule this potentially life-saving assessment? Find out here. 

Stroke fast facts and figures

Every year in the United States, more than 795,000 people have a stroke. Nearly 90% of stroke events are ischemic, meaning they occur when a blood clot blocks an artery to the brain. When this happens, the affected brain area can’t get enough oxygen and nutrients, causing brain cells to begin dying within minutes. 

This is what makes stroke a medical emergency: Nearly two million brain cells die each minute that a stroke goes untreated. Without emergency care, it can cause brain damage, long-term disability, or death. The facts are unsettling: 

• Someone has a stroke every 40 seconds in the U.S.
• Someone dies of stroke about every three minutes
• Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S.
• Half of older stroke survivors have reduced mobility
• About three in four strokes (77%) are first-time events
• About one in four strokes (23%) are recurrent events 

Anyone can have a stroke, but certain risk factors — including high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, obesity, and smoking — make it more likely. About one in three American adults have at least one of these major risk factors. 

Stroke prevention screenings

As vascular specialists who understand just how serious stroke can be, we know that most adults — especially middle-aged and older adults — can benefit from a preventive stroke evaluation. Stroke prevention screenings have three interconnected goals: 

• To assess and quantify your cumulative stroke risk
• To give you specific, targeted ways to mitigate that risk
• To improve your health and protect your well-being

This comprehensive evaluation quantifies stroke risk by compiling information from a family history questionnaire, your personal medical history, a lifestyle habit survey, and a variety of assessments, including measurements for BMI, blood glucose levels, blood pressure, blood lipid levels (cholesterol, triglycerides), and C-reactive proteins.

The screening may include various noninvasive cardiovascular studies, too — such as a CT scan, vascular ultrasound, or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) — to check for narrowing or blockages in your arteries. 

Should you worry about stroke?

Preventive stroke evaluations are offered to adults of all ages. Starting around the age of 40, when conditions like high cholesterol and high blood pressure become more common, most adults can benefit from this screening.

Routine preventive stroke evaluations are highly recommended for all adults who have one or more of the following risk factors for stroke: 

Advancing age 

While a stroke can happen at any age, it’s more common in older adults. If you’re 50 or older, schedule a stroke screening in conjunction with your annual exam. 

Family history

Your stroke risk increases if a parent or sibling has had a stroke, particularly if it happened at a younger age. The rare AB blood type is also associated with an elevated stroke risk.  

Health conditions 

Chronic conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity are major risk factors for stroke. Other conditions that raise your stroke risk include sleep apnea, kidney disease, migraine, and autoimmune disorders.  

Lifestyle factors

Stroke risk increases with an inactive lifestyle, drinking too much alcohol, and smoking. Tobacco use, in particular — whether through smoking or vaping — doubles your chances of having a stroke.  

Race and ethnicity

Black, Latino, and Indigenous Americans have a higher stroke risk; non-Hispanic Black adults are twice as likely to have a first-time stroke as white adults.  

Prior stroke history

Adults who’ve already had a stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or a self-resolving “mini stroke,” require ongoing evaluations as part of a secondary prevention plan. 

The key to stroke prevention

Remember, 82-90% of all strokes stem from five factors that are within your control: 

1. High cholesterol
2. High blood pressure
3. Being overweight 
4. Physical inactivity  
5. Smoking cigarettes 

Once we know your stroke risk and the factors that play into it, we develop a plan of action to keep you healthy. We may advise weight loss, healthy eating, daily exercise, chronic disease management, smoking cessation, and improved cholesterol and blood pressure control, among other strategies. 

To learn more about stroke prevention, schedule a visit at your nearest Advanced Vascular Surgery office in Kalamazoo, Allegan, Battle Creek, Coldwater, Sturgis, or Three Rivers, Michigan, today.