Strokes Could Be Prevented in 90 Percent of Cases, Study Says

Nine out of 10 strokes are preventable, according a global study that shines light on one of the world's leading causes of death and disability.

New research published Friday in The Lancet confirms 10 risk factors that can be modified account for 90 percent of strokes -- which occur when an area of the brain loses blood flow -- across the world. The study, dubbed INTERSTROKE, examined nearly 27,000 people in 32 countries across all continents, building on the breadth of an earlier version of the study that identified the same 10 risk factors.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the leading risk factor; others include physical inactivity, obesity, stress, diabetes and a poor diet.

Researchers looked at the proportion of strokes per factor and quantified them through population attributable risk factors. This means that for each one of these 10 risk factors, there's a corresponding percentage of reduced stroke risk if one risk factor didn't exist. For example, without hypertension, a person's stroke risk is down 47.9 percent; 35.8 percent reduction for physical inactivity; and 23.2 percent reduction for poor diet. Since many of these risks can overlap, when added together, this translates to a 90.7 percent reduction probability. This was comparable for each region studied and all age ranges in both men and women.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/strokes-could-prevented-90-percent-cases-study-says-173330241.html