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7 tips on preventing a stroke

	ConsumerReportsHealth.org can help you clue into the warning signs of a stroke. We'll give you the information you need to help prevent a stroke from striking you or someone you love.
	Subscribe to ConsumerReportsHealth.org today and find out how skipping one dose of daily preventive aspirin can have detrimental effects.

If you or someone you know is diagnosed with a stroke, you're not alone. Consumer Reports Health can help with the best research about strokes and expert evidence and advice about stroke prevention.

Key points about preventing a stroke

• If you've had a stroke or a mini-stroke, you're at risk of having another one.
• 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 surgery to remove the blockages (called carotid endarterectomy) can help prevent another stroke.
• If you have an irregular heartbeat, it can cause blood clots. These can cause a stroke. You can lower your odds of having another stroke by taking a drug called an anticoagulant, which helps keep your blood from clotting.
• Treatments for preventing strokes work best in people who are most likely to have another stroke.

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. A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off. Factors that increase your risk of having another stroke include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, an irregular heart beat and smoking.

Various medications and procedures are part of ongoing stroke prevention treatment. We encourage you to read our entire condition report and to consult with your doctor to learn more about strokes and stroke prevention. As a Consumer Reports Health subscriber, you’ll have access to our expert research and recommendations, and you’ll be more confident and knowledgeable about which treatments are best for you.