Read up on Stroke prevention treatment options at Consumer Reports Health.

Stroke prevention

Key points about treatments

If you've had a stroke or a mini-stroke, you're at risk of having another one. About 4 in 10 men who have had a stroke will have another one within five years. For women, this figure is more than 2 in 10.

Another stroke or

mini-stroke
When the supply of blood to a part of your brain is blocked off for a short time, but not long enough to cause permanent damage, it's called a mini-stroke. Doctors call this a transient ischemic attack (or TIA for short). A mini-stroke can make you lose control of one side of your body, or you may lose the sight in one eye. But these problems go away within 24 hours.

mini-stroke often causes more damage than the first and is more likely to leave you disabled. The good news is that there are treatments that can help you lower your chances of having another one.

You can have treatment to keep you from having another stroke.

To find out more about why strokes happen and how they are treated, see our section on strokes. Here, we discuss the treatments that can help prevent another stroke.

Key points about preventing another stroke

Taking drugs to lower your blood pressure can help prevent another stroke.
Taking aspirin every day can lower your chances of having another stroke.
Taking drugs called statins to lower your cholesterol may make it less likely that you'll have another stroke.
If you have severe blockages in the blood vessels in your neck, having an operation to remove the blockages (called a carotid endarterectomy) can help prevent another stroke.
Treatment to prevent strokes is different for people who have an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation). An irregular heartbeat can cause blood clots. These can cause a stroke. You can lower your chances of having another stroke by taking a drug called an anticoagulant, which helps keep your blood from clotting.
Treatments for preventing strokes work best for people who are most likely to have another stroke. See Who's most at risk? to find out what things increase a person's chances of having another stroke.

This information was last updated on May 12, 2009

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2009. All rights reserved.

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