Among the factors that increase the chance of stroke, some are out of our control. Those we inherit from our parents are, for example, beyond our control.

Others, however, can be controlled by making healthy lifestyle choices and working with your doctor. (See Preventing Stroke to learn more.)

Risk Factors You Cannot Control 

• Your family history. If your family members have had a stroke, your risk of having one is higher.
• Your race. If you’re of African-American heritage, you are at higher risk of stroke than someone of Caucasian descent.
• Your sex (gender). Men are more likely to have stroke than women, but women account for more deaths due to stroke than men.
• Your age. The older you are, the higher your risk for stroke. Strokes happen in younger people as well, just not at the rate experienced by older people.

• A previous stroke, TIA or heart attack. Your chance of stroke is higher if you’ve already had one (including a “mini” stroke, or TIA) – or if you’ve had a heart attack.

Risk Factors You Can Control or Treat 

• High blood pressure. Medical science points to high blood pressure as the most important risk factor we can control to lower the chance of stroke.
• Cigarette smoking. Giving up tobacco helps lower the risk of stroke. Studies have found that the combination of oral contraceptives and smoking greatly increases the chance of stroke.
• Diabetes. Diabetes (as well as risk factors associated with it, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and overweight) contributes to the risk for stroke.
• High cholesterol. People with high blood cholesterol have an increased risk for stroke. Having a low HDL (“good”) cholesterol level has been identified as a risk factor for stroke in men. More data are needed to determine its impact on the risk of stroke in women.
• Diet. Eating foods that contribute to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and overweight increases the risk of stroke. Choosing to eat five or more servings of vegetables and fruits daily may help reduce the chance of stroke.
• Physical inactivity. Not getting regular exercise can contribute to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes and heart disease – all risk factors for stroke.
• Disease of the arteries. A build-up of plaque inside the walls of your arteries – in your heart, your legs and especially in the carotid arteries in the neck that carry blood to the brain – can increase the risk of stroke. Plaque build-up narrows the arteries and can ultimately restrict blood flow to the brain, leading to a possible stroke.
• Heart disease. The presence of heart disease and atrial fibrillation (AF) raises the risk of stroke. In AF, because the heart beat is fast and irregular, blood can pool and clot in the heart. This raises the risk that a clot will break loose, travel to the brain and cause a stroke.
• Sickle cell disease. People with sickle cell disease, which is inherited, are at higher risk for stroke. Blood cells affected by the disease are “stickier” and can attach to the walls of – and sometimes block – arteries supplying blood to the brain, leading to stroke.