Keeping you Informed

Stroke Awareness

Suspect a stroke? Act FAST. Call 999.

Facial weakness - can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
Arm weakness - can the person raise both arms?
Speech problems - can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
Time to call 999

How can high blood pressure and the risk of stroke be reduced?

A raised blood pressure reading on three separate occasions is usually taken as confirmation sustained high blood pressure. Once this diagnosis has been made, your GP should conduct a number of tests designed to investigate the causes of the high blood pressure.

These routine investigations will include a urine test and blood tests (from a blood sample). Your GP should discuss the results of these tests with you.

The doctor will be able to give advice on how to reduce blood pressure. Often changes to lifestyle, such as eating a healthy diet low in fat, sugar and salt, and reducing alcohol intake will be enough to reduce blood pressure to within the normal range.

Stopping smoking is a key factor as if you smoke and have high blood pressure, your risk of stroke doubles. If the blood pressure remains high, there are medications available that can reduce it, which the doctor can prescribe. Your GP should also give you details of patient organisations and local events or courses that could provide more information and support.

Once the blood pressure has been reduced to a satisfactory level, it should be checked at least once a year.

By reducing blood pressure, the risk of stroke also lessens. In fact, 40% of strokes could be prevented if more people were aware they had high blood pressure and received treatment.

How Can I Reduce the Risk of a Stroke?

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The Stroke Association

The Stroke Association is the only UK wide charity solely concerned with combating stroke in people of all ages. It funds research into prevention, treatment and better methods of rehabilitation, and helps stroke patients and their families directly through its Rehabilitation and Support Services. These include Communication Support, Family and Carer Support, information services and welfare grants. They also campaign, educate and inform to increase knowledge of stroke at all levels of society, and they represent everyone affected by stroke.

The Stroke Association
www.stroke.org.uk
Stroke House,
240 City Road,
London,
EC1V 2PR

t: 020 7566 0300
f: 020 7490 2686
Textphone: 020 7251 9096

Stroke Helpline
Iinformation or advice about stroke
t: 0845 3033 100 (calls charged at local rate) open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
e: info@stroke.org.uk
a: Stroke Information Service
The Stroke Association
240 City Road, London EC1V 2PR

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How Can I Reduce the Risk of Stroke?

Stop smoking
Smoking doubles your risk of a stroke because it causes the arteries to fur up (atherosclerosis) and makes the blood more likely to clot.

These increase the risk of a stroke.

Stopping smoking can cut the risk of a stroke in half . No matter how old you are or how long you have smoked.

Giving up is not easy, but it is worth the effort to improve your health.

Enfield & Haringey Stop Smoking Service www.quitsmoking.uk.com

Drink sensibly
Drinking too much alcohol raises blood pressure. Binge drinking (drinking more than six units in six hours) is particularly dangerous as it can

cause blood pressure to soar. If you limit your alcohol to within the current guidelines, there’s nothing wrong with the occasional drink .

in moderation it may even do you good. Women should drink no more than two to three units of alcohol a day. (Women who are

pregnant should not drink at all.) Men should drink no more than three to four units a day.

Don’t drink every day. Try to have a few alcohol-free days a week.

Diet
Snack on fruit and vegetables

Don’t fill up on junk food. Instead, eat as much fresh fruit, vegetables and dried fruit as you like.

You should aim for at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day. A portion is about 80 grams

(3 ounces) for example, an apple, an orange or a glass of orange juice, a large carrot, two broccoli florets, a handful of grapes or three tablespoons of peas.

Choose low-fat proteins
Don’t eat too much red meat, choose fish, poultry (with the skin removed), game or vegetarian

alternatives instead. Most red meat is high in saturated fat, which contributes to the arteries furring up.

Reduce your salt
Salt raises blood pressure. Don’t add salt to your food and avoid processed foods which contain a lot of salt.

Eat more fibre
Foods high in fibre help control blood fat levels. Try wholegrain cereals, porridge, brown rice, wholewheat bread and pasta, and grains such as couscous.

Limit the amount of fat you eat
You need some fat in your diet, but too much can clog up your arteries and add to weight problems.

Try to limit the amount you use and stick to vegetable, seed and nut oils rather than margarine and butter.

Watch your weight
Being overweight is a risk factor for high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, all of which increase your risk of a stroke.

A healthy diet and regular exercise will help control your weight.

Take more exercise
Regular physical activity helps to lower blood pressure, creates a healthy balance of blood fats and improves your body’s ability to handle insulin.

Tackle stress and depression
Many things in life, like overwork, redundancy, family problems and bereavement, can lead to

stress and depression. These take a physical toll on the body, and if they are not treated they

can contribute to long-term health problems. It’s important that you get any help you need

from your doctor or another health professional.

Find out about the contraceptive pill and HRT
Hormones can make the blood thicker and more likely to clot, and they may increase the risk of

high blood pressure. Hormone treatments for women include

the combined contraceptive pill (containing both oestrogen and progesterone);
hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

Always discuss hormone treatments with your doctor and make a decision that is right for you.

Be aware of the things you can’t change
Unfortunately, some people are more at risk of a stroke than others because of things they can’t change. These include:

family history . you’re more at risk if someone in your family has had a stroke;
age . arteries harden and become furred up with age, which means older people are more likely to have strokes;
sex . in people under the age of 75, men have more strokes than women;
race . people of Asian, African and African-Caribbean origin are more at risk; and
medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

But a stroke is not inevitable. Changing your lifestyle can help to reduce your risk.

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