Stroke risk factors and primary prevention

Park Joong Hyun
Department of Neurology, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University school of Medicine
Choi soo mi, Ahn eun mi, Kang Sung Hyun, Lee Kang Hee
Division of Chronic Disease Prevention, Center for Disease Prevention, KCDC

Stroke is a major health burden in Korea as well as worldwide. Every year, approximately 105,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke. Stroke is a leading cause of functional impairments, with 20% of survivors requiring institutional care. Despite the advent of treatment for selected patients with acute stroke and the promise of other acute therapies, effective prevention remains the best approach for reducing the burden of stroke. The majority of risk factors for stroke are modifiable by preventive measures. It is anticipated that by controlling well-documented and modifiable risk factors, a significant proportion of stroke will be prevented. The risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, dyslipidemia, cigarette smoking, postmenopausal hormone therapy, physical activity, and obesity are modifiable. The potential benefits of primary prevention strategies have already been revealed through numerous studies including large prospective cohort studies.

Keywords: Risk factor, Stoke, Primary prevention, Hypertension