The American Stroke Association has issued new guidelines that emphasize routine screenings for stroke risk factors, including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, high blood sugar and obesity.
The new guidelines suggest that improving these screenings can greatly reduce a person has of developing a stroke. The American Stroke Assocation, which is a division of the American Heart Association, says that 80% of strokes are preventable.
The organization says that public awareness and knowledge about healthy lifestyle changes, such as smoking cessation, increased physical activity, improved dietary habits and better sleep, can help prevent strokes.
Strokes are the fifth-leading cause of death in the U.S., responsible for 160,000 fatalities a year. Nearly 600,000 Americans develop their first stroke every year. Although most people survive their first stroke, permanent brain damage commonly occurs.
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Among the new recommendations is the consideration of glucagon-like protein-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist medications. These drugs were initially developed to help manage Type 2 diabetes but have since gained popularity to help patients manage weight.
The guidelines also now take into consideration education, economic stability, access to care, discrimination, structural racism and neighborhood factors (such as walkable neighborhoods).
The American Stroke Association also says that there are new gender- and sex-specific recommendations for women, including screening for known risk factors such as use of oral contraceptives, high blood pressure during pregnancy, other pregnancy complications such as premature birth, endometriosis, premature ovarian failure and early onset menopause, are included in the guidelines.
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Doctors are also being encouraged to screen transgender women and gender-diverse individuals taking estrogens for gender affirmation for an increased risk of stroke
The new guidelines mark the first time the recommendations have been changed in over a decade.
“The most effective way to reduce the occurrence of a stroke and stroke-related death is to prevent the first stroke—referred to as primary prevention,” said Dr. Cheryl D. Bushnell, chair of the guideline writing group. “Some populations have an elevated risk of stroke, whether it be due to genetics, lifestyle, biological factors and/or social determinants of health, and in some cases, people do not receive appropriate screening to identify their risk.”
