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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffMany factors can increase your risk of a stroke. A number of these factors can also increase your chances of having a heart attack. Stroke risk factors include:
- A family history of stroke, heart attack or TIA
- Being age 55 or older
- High blood pressure — a systolic blood pressure of 140 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher, or a diastolic pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher
- High cholesterol — a total cholesterol level of 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or 5.2 mmol/L, or higher
- Cigarette smoking
- Diabetes
- Obesity — a body mass index of 30 or higher
- Cardiovascular disease, including heart failure, a heart defect, heart infection, or abnormal heart rhythm
- Previous stroke or TIA
- High levels of homocysteine, an amino acid, in your blood
- Use of birth control pills or other hormone therapy
Other factors that can increase your risk of stroke include heavy or binge drinking and the use of illicit drugs such as cocaine.
Although men and women have strokes at about the same rate, women more often die of strokes than do men. Blacks are more likely to have strokes than are people of other races.
