Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Silent strokes take a toll

A slightly scary story from WebMD the other day: Silent Strokes Take a Toll.

From the story:

A new study found that nearly 11% of people who thought they were healthy actually had some brain damage from a 'silent' stroke. Silent strokes are true strokes but don't result in any noticeable symptoms. People who have had a silent stroke are at higher risk for subsequent strokes and for an accelerated loss of mental skills.

All the more reason to keep watch on your personal stroke risk factors, also listed in the article. Keeping watch includes regular checkups, proper medication, exercise, a good diet, no smoking.

Some factors you can't control - age, for example - so deal with the ones you can control.

While that behavior is not a guarantee against a stroke, it certainly reduces the risk and, if you do have a stroke, it improves the outlook of survival and recovery.

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