While certain risk factors are beyond your control, they can still increase the likelihood of heart disease and stroke. Although these factors cannot be changed, it is important to be aware of them and focus on managing the ones you can influence.
The most common uncontrollable risk factors are:
Age – Strokes become more likely in adults aged 55 and older.
Sex – Women are slightly protected against strokes before menopause, but then their risk increases afterwards.
Genetic – Rare forms of inherited high cholesterol, blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythm or clotting disorders can increase the risk of strokes.
Family history – If your father or brother experienced heart disease or a stroke before the age of 55, or your mother or sister before the age of 65, you may also have an increased risk of developing heart disease or experiencing a stroke.
Poverty – Poverty may increase stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders. Poverty may also limit access to resources for healthy living, as they may be unaffordable or unavailable.
Controllable risk factors are those that increase your risk of stroke but can be modified through behavioural changes. Up to 80% of strokes can be prevented through healthy living and appropriate medical treatment. Even small improvements in these areas can make a significant difference.
a Fib increases the risk of potentially disabling or deadly ischaemic stroke by nearly 500%.
Atrial fibrillation or aFib is the most common sustained abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmia. This dangerous arrhythmia causes the two upper chambers of the heart to quiver instead of beating effectively, resulting in blood not being completely pumped out, which in turn causes pooling and can lead to clotting. These clots can travel to the brain, block an artery and interrupt the brain’s blood supply. This can trigger a major and often fatal stroke.
Watch a visual explanation of aFib from the American Heart Association.
Controllable risk factors as factors that increase your risk of stroke that you have the power to change! Up to 80% of strokes can be prevented by healthy living and medical treatment. Even small improvements in each of these can make a difference.
a Fib increases the risk of potentially disabling or deadly ischaemic stroke by nearly 500 %.
Atrial fibrillation or aFib is the most common sustained abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmia. This dangerous arrhythmia causes the two upper chambers of the heart to quiver instead of beating effectively, resulting in blood not being completely pumped out, which in turn causes pooling and can lead to clotting. These clots can travel to the brain, block an artery and interrupt the brain’s blood supply. This can trigger a major and often fatal stroke.
Watch a visual explanation of aFib from the American Heart Association.
Some risk factors are out of your control but can still make heart diseases and strokes more likely. Even though you can’t change them, you should still be aware and control what you can.
The most common uncontrollable risk factors are:
Age – strokes become more likely with age.
Sex – Women are slightly protected against strokes before menopause but then their risk increases afterwards.
Genetic – Rare forms of inherited high cholesterol, blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythm or clotting disorders can increase the risk of strokes.
Family history – If your father or brother suffered heart disease or a stroke before the age of 55, or your mother or sister before 65 years, then you could also be at increased risk of heart diseases or strokes.
Poverty – Poverty can increase stress, anxiety and depression. Healthy lifestyle choices could also not be affordable or available, and good medical treatment could be inaccessible. Therefore, poverty is an important risk factor for heart disease and strokes.
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