CDC Recommends Ways to Reduce the Risk of Stroke
![What is a stroke?](https://d.medicaldaily.com/en/full/221846/what-stroke.jpg?w=450&f=c93eec6e319307484b19ccfb3d542e71)
Want to reduce your risk of stroke? Just learn your ABCs, the CDC says.
Every 6 seconds someone dies from a stroke, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says you don’t have to be the next victim if you take action to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack.
In a new campaign launched Thursday, the agency says clinicians and individuals can improve health outcomes by following their ABCs – Aspirin for people at risk; Blood pressure control; Cholesterol management; and Smoking cessation.
According to the agency, less than half of Americans who should be on an aspirin regime are taking one; less than half of Americans with high blood pressure have it under control. Two-thirds of Americans with high cholesterol aren’t getting treated and more than three-quarters of smokers don’t seek help to quit.
More than 2 million heart attacks and strokes occur each year in the United States, about 137,000 people die.
The risk of stroke varies by racial groups. Compared to whites, African-Americans are nearly at twice the risk of having a stroke. African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely to die following a stroke than are whites.
“Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds and while that is a statistic to some, it’s a life abruptly changed for the person who suffered the stroke and the person’s family,” said CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden, in a statement. “We can do so much more to prevent strokes and the new Million Hearts initiative offers opportunities for individuals, providers, communities, and businesses to apply tools we have readily available today to reduce strokes and heart attacks.”