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High blood pressure affects almost one in three Germans. It is the biggest risk factor for stroke.
Kassel – Around 270,000 people in Germany suffer a stroke every year. The disease is the third leading cause of death and can… a serious turning point in the lives of affected patients and relatives be. “70 percent of strokes are preventable,” writes the German stroke aid. Because a large part of the risk factors are strongly influenced by lifestyle. The same applies to the biggest risk factor for a stroke – high blood pressure.
Risk of stroke increased many times over: one in three Germans has high blood pressure
The doctor Katharina Abbing also explains the main risk factor high blood pressure in the WDR service time and measures the blood pressure of passers-by on the street. In the test, almost all participants had high blood pressure. The proportion is not quite that high for the entire country. Almost every third German suffers from high blood pressure. The problem: this increases the risk of a stroke six to eight times.
High blood pressure can lead to calcification of the vascular walls (arteriosclerosis). Due to calcification of cerebral arteries or the carotid artery, the brain cannot receive an adequate blood supply. In addition, calcifications can also form blood clots, which are washed into the brain with the bloodstream and block the blood supply. That’s how they explain it Stroke pilots for East Westphalia-Lippe. Accordingly, high blood pressure can also lead to a cerebral hemorrhage, which in turn can trigger a stroke.
Too high blood pressure: These are the causes
- Lifestyle: Overweight, too much salt, little fruit and vegetables, too much alcohol, too little exercise, stress, smoking, various medications
- Internal causes: hereditary predisposition, sleep apnea, kidney disease, circulatory disorders in the kidneys, vascular malformations, increased hormone production
(Source: Stroke pilot for East Westphalia-Lippe)
As the German stroke aid explains, lifestyle changes should therefore be made even if blood pressure values are slightly elevated. This allows normal values to be achieved in some cases. It is also recommended that therapy with medication be supplemented with a healthy lifestyle. This includes, above all, getting enough exercise, eating healthy, avoiding being overweight, stopping smoking and drinking only a little alcohol. You should also regularly measure your own blood pressure and pulse or have it measured.
Risk of stroke: In addition to high blood pressure, obesity and lack of exercise are also at the forefront
In total, just ten risk factors are responsible for 90 percent of all strokes worldwide. This is what the Interstroke study found the Medical Journal quoted. Accordingly, the largest risk factor at 34.6 percent is high blood pressure (calculated using the population-attributable risk PAR; the calculated proportion of diseases that is attributed to a risk factor). This is followed by excess weight on the stomach (26.5 percent) and lack of exercise (28.5 percent). Smoking (18.9 percent) and dietary errors (18.8 percent) are also associated with an increased risk of stroke. (cal)
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