Anyone can have a stroke, although there are some things that make you more at risk than others. It’s important to know what the risk factors are and do what you can to reduce your risk.

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Are you at risk of stroke?
Anyone can have a stroke, although there are some things that make you more at risk than others. It’s
important to know what the risk factors are and do what you can to reduce your risk.
Many people think that strokes only happen to older people but a stroke can strike anyone at any time.
Whilst most people who have a stroke are older, younger people can have strokes too, including children.
One in four strokes in the UK happen in people under the age of 65.
There are factors that can increase your chances of having a stroke, so some people are more at risk
than others. It’s important to know what these factors are and do what you can to reduce your own risk.
What makes you more at risk?
Most strokes happen when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain. Blood clots usually form in
areas where our arteries have become narrowed or ‘furred’ up by fatty deposits.
As we get older, our arteries naturally become harder and narrower. This increases the risk of them
becoming blocked and causing a stroke. However, there are other factors that can speed up this process,
or make our blood more likely to clot. Some we can change, others we can’t.
Risk factors you can't change
Your age
The largest number of people who have strokes are aged over 55, and the risk increases as you get
older. This is because our arteries naturally become narrower and harder as we get older.
Your ethnicity
If you are South Asian, black African or black Caribbean you are at a higher risk of stroke than other
people in the UK. It isn’t completely understood why this is, but it’s probably connected to the fact that
you are more likely to have conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes.
Family history
If a close relative (parent, grandparent, brother or sister) has had a stroke, your risk is likely to be higher.
Genetic conditions
Certain genetic conditions can cause strokes. Sickle cell disease, for example, is a genetic disorder that
affects your red blood cells and makes them more likely to block your blood vessels.
Wellbeing
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Risk factors you can change
There are many risk factors for stroke that can be changed. With simple checks your GP can help to
identify whether you have these risks and help you to make the changes necessary to reduce your risk
of stroke.
Certain medical conditions can increase your risk of stroke. These include:
 High Blood Pressure - is one of the biggest risk factors for stroke. It is a contributing factor in
54% of strokes
 Diabetes - is a condition caused by too much sugar in your blood. Having diabetes doubles your
risk of stroke
 Atrial Fibrillation - a type of irregular heartbeat that can cause blood clots to form in your heart.
Having atrial fibrillation increases your risk of stroke by five times.
 High Cholesterol - a fatty substance that is found in our blood. Reducing your cholesterol level
can reduce your risk of stroke
An important way to reduce your risk of stroke is to find out if you have any of these conditions and work
with your doctor to manage them.
Lifestyle factors
The way we live has a big impact on our risk of stroke. Things like smoking, drinking too much alcohol,
being overweight and eating unhealthy foods can damage your blood vessels, increase your blood
pressure and make your blood more likely to clot.
There are lots of simple changes you can make to your lifestyle that can reduce your risk of stroke.
Risk factors for women
There are some other factors that can increase the risk of stroke in women:
 High levels of the female hormone oestrogen can make your blood more likely to clot. Your
oestrogen levels rise naturally when you are pregnant, but there are also hormone treatments
that will cause it to rise, such as contraceptive pills and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Generally the risk of stroke due to pregnancy or hormone treatments is low, but if you’re
concerned, or have any other risk factors, make sure you talk to your GP about it.
 Some studies have shown that women who have certain types of migraines are at a slightly
higher risk of having a stroke.
None of these factors mean that you will necessarily have a stroke, but it’s important to be aware of them
and do what you can about the factors you can change.