Some risk factors for stroke — age, gender, family history and race — cannot be changed. Other risk factors — transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol level, obesity, physical inactivity, alcohol use, irregular heartbeat — can be modified, treated or managed.

• Age
  Increased age is the dominant risk factor for stroke.
• Gender
  Men have a slightly higher risk of getting stroke than women; however, by age 75, stroke is 26% more common in women than in men.
• Family history
  A family history of heart disease or stroke before age 65 increases one's likelihood of stroke.
• Race
  Black Canadians and Asian Canadians have a higher rate of stroke than Caucasian Canadians.
• Previous transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mini-stroke
  A person having a TIA will experience stroke symptoms for a few seconds, minutes, or up to an hour, then the symptoms will pass. A TIA may leave little or no permanent brain damage; however, up to 20% of people who have had one or more TIAs are at risk of having a stroke within a year.
• Smoking
  Cigarette smoking can lead to stroke. Quitting smoking can reduce a person's risk of stroke by 22% after two years, and by 90% after four years.
• High blood pressure
  Left untreated, high blood pressure brings a 40% chance of stroke within 10 years.
• Diabetes
  Adult-onset diabetes (Type 2 diabetes) is also a significant risk factor for high blood pressure and heart disease.
• Elevated blood cholesterol
  Excess cholesterol clogs the arteries, increasing the risk of stroke.
• Excess weight/obesity
  Excess weight can cause a person to develop high blood pressure and diabetes, which are risk factors for stroke. The greater the obesity, the greater the risk of stroke.
• Physical inactivity
  Exercising for 20 minutes, three times a week helps guard against stroke and several risk factors for stroke-high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.
• Excessive alcohol use
  Heavy drinking (more than two drinks a day) and binge drinking appear to increase the risk of hemorraghic stroke.
• Irregular heartbeat
  Atrial fibrillation occurs when the muscle fibres in the upper chambers (atria) of the heart beat out of rhythm. Atrial fibrillation is a risk factor for ischemic stroke.

• sudden weaknesses
• sudden numbness or tingling in face, arms, legs, especially on one side
• sudden trouble speaking or understanding speech, slurred speech
• sudden loss of vision in one eye, or double vision
• sudden, intense, unusual headache
• dizziness, unsteadiness, sudden fall, especially combined with any of the above signs

Note: Stroke-like symptoms can also signal infection such as meningitis, a drug overdose or a seizure.

Note: Stroke-like symptoms can also signal infection such as meningitis, a drug overdose, or a seizure.

Aphasia — speech and language problems
Aphasia is difficulty with speech and language, due to stroke, brain injury or a neurological condition. A person with aphasia may have trouble reading, writing, talking, understanding speech and language. Whether the aphasia is short-term or permanent, the inability to communicate can be a major source of frustration for stroke survivors and caregivers.

Types of aphasia:

• Receptive aphasia
  A person with receptive aphasia cannot understand language, cannot take in (receive) what is being said or communicated.
• Expressive aphasia
  A person with expressive aphasia knows what he wants to say but cannot express it.
• Global aphasia
  With global aphasia, a person can neither understand what is being communicated nor express what he is thinking.