“These risk factors oftentimes don’t have any real symptoms,” Wang said, which is a worrisome thing to think about. “A patient would never know that their blood pressure’s high, they wouldn’t know whether they have high cholesterol unless all of this is routinely tested or screened on a regular basis.”
This means it’s crucial that you visit your primary care doctor for the routine check-ups that they deem necessary. They’ll screen you for issues like high cholesterol and high blood pressure while checking other risk factors like your blood sugar and weight, too, he added.
“I think just being hyper-vigilant about those things, especially when these risk factors for stroke are very cryptic, meaning that they don’t manifest in any real symptoms, so it’s really important for patients to understand that so they take the actionable steps to see their doctor to get these routine screening tests,” Wang said.
Your doctor can also review any risk factors outside your control, like gender (strokes are more common in women, Wang said), race (they’re more common in Black people, he noted) and personal history.
“In terms of previous medical history, those who have had prior strokes in the past, or if one of their parents had a stroke in the past, are at a much higher risk of having a future stroke,” Wang said.
