Stroke Prevention
You work with your primary care doctor or other primary care provider to follow the stroke prevention treatment plan designed by your team of stroke care specialists.
Because stroke can affect your brain in many different ways, your care after a stroke is different from anyone else's. Preventing more strokes might be as simple as taking aspirin and controlling stroke risk factors, such as blood pressure or smoking, for the rest of your life. It might be more complicated. For example, some people need additional medical treatment or surgery to prevent more strokes.
Controlling Your Risk of Stroke
Controlling your stroke risk factors means avoiding habits and medical conditions that make you more likely to have another stroke. To control your risk factors, you can:
- Control your blood pressure
- Know if you have atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that makes stroke more likely
- Stop smoking
- Control alcohol use (drink fewer alcoholic drinks or stop drinking alcohol)
- Control cholesterol levels
- Control diabetes
- Manage exercise and diet
- Treat circulation issues (problems with the way blood circulates in your body)
