title: Medical prevention of stroke, 2003.
abstract: Stroke is a preventable tragedy for nearly 750,000 people each year. Primary stroke prevention measures applicable to the general public include a healthy diet containing fruits, vegetables, fish, and low fat; exercise; smoking cessation; limiting alcohol to moderate use; and perhaps avoidance of stress. Screening for hypertension, cholesterol, heart disease, and carotid artery stenosiscan lead to even more effective stroke prevention in high-risk patients. Specific antihypertensive drugs such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin-converting enzyme receptor blockers may be especially protective against stroke. Secondary stroke prevention in patients who have already had a stroke or transient ischemic attack is even more effective in preventing more serious strokes. Measures include antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering agents, carotid endarterectomy, anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation and other cardiac sources of embolic stroke, and antiplatelet therapy. Stroke prevention depends on the application of these well-known and widely available treatments to a large number of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37212, USA. Howard.Kirshner@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Howard S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kirshner
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D001241:Aspirin