United States: Females are also more vulnerable to stroke especially if they had high blood pressure during pregnancy or reached menopause before 45 years.
They and other high-risk groups are the targets of new guidelines for stroke prevention released today by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.
They also recommend new GLP-1 weight loss drugs for patients with diabetes because it is a risk factor for heart disease among many diabetes patients.
What more are the experts stating?
According to Dr. Alexis Simpkins, an associate professor of neurology at Cedars-Sina, “The goal of these guidelines is to promote brain health and reduce individual risk of stroke, so that we are all living healthy lives with a great quality of life as we age,” US News reported.
The guidelines concern the possible directions of the conversation with the patient or his doctor to avoid a primary stroke.
The experts also remarked that they stress the need to have high blood pressure in-check.
As she mentioned, “Blood pressure goals now are a little bit more aggressive than they were previously.”
“Maintaining a healthy weight and reducing salt intake is important, but many people need the help of medication to meet these goals. And if one medication does not work, providers and patients should not hesitate to add another,” she added.
While it is always important to be aware of stroke symptoms and prevention guidelines, it is even more crucial in the winter as the risk increases with cold weather and the holidays. https://t.co/xjLgDKde7v
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) November 24, 2024
Recommendations from expert
The changes that have been made seen so many people adopting the Mediterranean diet, Simpkins stated.
This contains more recommendations for fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, seafood, and the use of healthy fats such as olive oil.
Simpkins said other high-risk groups are also named in the fresh directives as well. These categories include women with endometriosis, women whose ovaries are removed before the age of forty, women during pregnancy period or post pregnancy especially those who were diagnosed with high blood pressure when pregnant.
As Simpkins added, “We don’t yet fully understand the reasons behind this elevated risk, especially in cases of endometriosis and early menopause,” reported.
“In the meantime, these patients and their healthcare providers should be having specific conversations about stroke risk and making plans to manage it,” she added.
The guidelines encourage the providers to evaluate what the guidelines refer to as the social determinants of the patient’s health while determining that patient’s risk of stroke.
These are on the basis of race, income, availability of healthy foods and health facilities, and able body exercises that one is capable of engaging on.
National data shows that annually, over 140,000 Americans lose their lives through stroke, according to Dr Shlee Song, the director of, the Comprehensive Stroke Program, Cedars-Sinai.