May is Stroke Awareness Month and in recognition we’ve published a new primer on stroke. The primer looks at different types of stroke, the resulting damage that can occur, and treatment options. Some helpful takeaways include:
- Smoking greatly increases the risk of both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and must be avoided.
- The same measures to reduce heart attack risk protect against stroke as well: cholesterol reduction, weight control, healthy diet, and regular exercise.
- Alcohol in excess (more than one drink daily for women, two for men) raises stroke risk.
To read this and our previous primers on hormones and the brain, neuroanatomy, brain receptors, the synapse, and biomarkers, visit our primers page on dana.org.
-Ann L. Whitman
