Ten risk factors associated with 90% of strokes

June 30, 2010 – About 90% of strokes are thought to be attributable to 10 risk factors – most of which can be changed by adopting a better lifestyle.

This is what emerges from an international study involving 6,000 participants, including 3,000 stroke victims and 3,000 control cases from 22 countries. The results were unveiled at the World Congress of Cardiology in China.

Among the risk factors identified, hypertension tops the list, with a 34% risk of suffering from a stroke. Next come a sedentary lifestyle, high waist circumference, cholesterol levels, unhealthy diet and smoking (see table).

From each participant’s records, obtained between 2007 and 2010, the researchers analyzed the state of health of stroke victims within 5 days of the onset of stroke symptoms.

They assessed their blood pressure and weight, as well as their level of stress, their eating habits and their consumption of alcohol and tobacco.

Then, using brain imaging, they classified the type of stroke each patient had (ischemic or hemorrhagic).

In about 75% of the cases, it was an ischemic stroke, but the rate of hemorrhagic stroke was 9 times more common when the patients had hypertension or high blood pressure.

Beware of hypertension

Among the 10 main risk factors, 6 represent more than 80% of the overall risk of having a stroke, namely hypertension, sedentary lifestyle, abdominal obesity, bad cholesterol levels, diet and smoking.

But, on its own, hypertension is associated with 51.8% of the risk of suffering an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.

In fact, a hypertensive person is 2.5 times more likely than someone with normal blood pressure to have a stroke.

This is why the authors of the study reiterate the importance of treating hypertension, and of having its pressure taken regularly.

According to Statistics Canada, more than 14,000 Canadians died of stroke in 2005.

* Source: Interstroke study

Nathalie Vigneault – PasseportSanté.net

1. O’Donnell MJ, et al, Risk factors for ischaemic and intracerebral haemorrhagic stroke in 22 countries (the INTERSTROKE study): a case-control study, The Lancet, June 18, 2010, doi: 10.1016 / S0140-6736 (10) 60834-3 [publié en primeur sur Internet].