Eight out of every ten strokes could be avoided by improving lifestyle habits

One out of every four people will have a stroke at some point in their lives. It is the first cause of death in women and second in men, according to the data from the Spanish Neurology Society (Sociedad Española de Neurología –SEN), in addition to being the first cause of disability in both sexes as adults. Of the survivors, 30% become functional dependents due to the after effects.

In Spain, the figures are reasonably alarming: over one hundred thousand people suffer from a stroke every year. It is an incidence that has doubled over the past 30 years and it is calculated that it will continue to rise. In fact, on a worldwide scale, it is expected that this figure will increase to almost 10 million people for 2050, as a study published by The Lancet neurology explains.

But not all the news is bad. As the SEN explains, over 80% of the cases of stroke could be avoided by changing small habits. Stopping smoking, limiting alcohol intake, controlling weight, exercising and reducing salt are the main recommendations, along with controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels frequently, particularly from the age of sixty years onwards.

It is also important to remember that rehabilitation in time is essential to recover independence in the first three months, therefore knowing about the way in which the stroke acts is also a key factor to ensure going to a hospital as soon as possible in the case of having a stroke. For this reason, the SEN recalls that the main symptoms that might alert someone in the first moments of suffering from this ailment are: headache, problems with sight in one or both eyes, loss of balance or of strength and of feeling in the limbs and difficulty in speaking and/or understanding. They add that these symptoms also usually appear suddenly.