Stroke is the third leading cause of death in Americans.  Two key steps you can take to lower your risk of death or disability from stroke are: 1) know stroke's warning signs and 2) control stroke's treatable risk factors.

Stroke’s Warning Signs

The warning signs are clues that your brain is not receiving enough oxygen. If you observe one or more of these common signs of a stroke—even if there is no pain, don't wait, call 911 right away! 

• Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Other danger signs of a stroke include:

• Double vision, drowsiness, and nausea or vomiting.
• Sometimes the warning signs may last only a few moments and then disappear.

These brief episodes, known as transient ischemic attacks or TIAs, are sometimes called "mini-strokes." Although brief, they identify an underlying serious condition that isn't going away without medical help. Unfortunately, since they clear up, many people ignore them. Don't. Heeding them can save your life.  If you experience a TIA, get help at once.

Stroke’s Treatable Risk Factors

• High blood pressure. If your blood pressure is high, work with your doctor to bring it down to the normal range. Some ways that work: Maintain proper weight. Avoid drugs known to raise blood pressure. Cut down on salt. Eat fruits and vegetables to increase potassium in your diet. Exercise more. Your doctor may prescribe medicines that help lower your blood pressure.
• Cigarette smoking. Cigarette smoking has been linked to the buildup of fatty substances in the carotid artery, the main neck artery supplying blood to the brain. Blockage of this artery is the leading cause of stroke in Americans. Also, nicotine raises blood pressure; carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke reduces the amount of oxygen your blood can carry to the brain; and cigarette smoke makes your blood thicker and more likely to clot. Your doctor can recommend programs and medications to help you quit smoking. By quitting, at any age, you also reduce your risk of lung disease, heart disease, and a number of cancers including lung cancer.
• Heart disease. Common heart disorders such as coronary artery disease, valve defects, irregular heart beat, and enlargement of one of the heart's chambers can result in blood clots that may break loose and block vessels in or leading to the brain. Your doctor will treat your heart disease and may also prescribe medication, such as aspirin, to help prevent the formation of clots.
• Warning signs or history of stroke. If you experience a TIA, get help at once. Many communities encourage those with stroke's warning signs to dial 911 for emergency medical assistance. If you have had a stroke in the past, it's important to reduce your risk of a second stroke. Your brain helps you recover from a stroke by drawing on body systems that now do double duty. That means a second stroke can be twice as bad.
• Diabetes.  Diabetes causes destructive changes in the blood vessels throughout the body, including the brain. Treating diabetes by controlling blood glucose level can delay the onset of complications that increase the risk of stroke.  If blood glucose levels are high at the time of a stroke, then brain damage is usually more severe and extensive than when blood glucose is well-controlled.

Source: “Brain Basics: Preventing a Stroke,” National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, www.ninds.nih.gov. (Reported in Wellness News You Can Use, National Wellness Institute, April 2004