By Taryn Fort

Many companies and organizations treat employees to summer Fridays, allowing them to leave work early and head out to enjoy the weather, run errands or spend extra time with family. With so many easily managed risk factors for stroke, what better opportunity for yourself or your spouse or family members to reserve some time for a yearly doctor’s visit?

Anyone can have a stroke no matter your age, race or gender. But, the chances of having a stroke increase if a person has certain risk factors, or criteria that can cause a stroke.  The key to stroke prevention is early detection and treatment of risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

There are 2 types of risk factors for stroke: controllable and uncontrollable. Controllable risk factors generally fall into two categories: lifestyle risk factors or medical risk factors. Lifestyle risk factors can often be changed, while medical risk factors can usually be treated. Both types can be managed best by working with a doctor, who can prescribe medications and advise on how to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Uncontrollable risk factors include being over age 55, being male, being African American, Hispanic or Asian/Pacific Islander, or having a family history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Learn more about manageable risk factors for stroke by visiting www.stroke.org/risk. Even better, download National Stroke Association’s handy risk factor scorecard for free! Fill out the scorecard and take it to your doctor’s visit to discuss how to manage any risk factors you might have for stroke.

Make stroke prevention easy by downloading National Stroke Association’s risk factor tool for free by visiting www.stroke.org/RISK.

Take advantage of the extra time in your lives and take steps to prevent a future stroke: schedule a doctor’s visit for yourself or a loved one today!