HealthDay News is reporting that if you’re an older American with no major health problems, chances are about one in 10 that you’ve had a stroke and didn’t know it. It was probably not severe enough to cause recognizable symptoms, such as vision problems, facial weakness or trouble walking, but it was still a blockage of a brain artery, and it reduced your thinking powers just a bit.
My Take?
Many reports on this story failed to mention that the two greatest risk factors for these “silent strokes” were improperly treated atrial fibrillation and high blood pressure.
If you have high blood pressure, be sure that you are monitoring your pressure with a home monitor and that your blood pressure is below 120/80.
If you have atrial fibrillation, you should be on a blood thinner, which can help prevent strokes.