What causes a stroke

A stroke can happen to anyone at any age, but your risk may increase if:

• you're over 50 years old
• you're from a Black or South Asian background
• you have sickle cell disease (SCD)
• you have an unhealthy lifestyle
• you have migraines
• you take the combined contraceptive pill
• you're pregnant and have pre-eclampsia
• you've just had a baby

Certain conditions also increase the risk of stroke. These include:

• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• diabetes
• irregular and fast heartbeats (atrial fibrillation)
• high cholesterol
• a transient ischaemic attack (TIA or mini stroke)

Reducing the risk of a stroke

If you have a stroke, or a transient ischaemic stroke (TIA, or mini-stroke), you're more at risk of having another stroke. But there are things you can do to lower the risk.

Do

• quit smoking
• eat a balanced diet
• exercise
• cut down on alcohol

Don’t

• do not forget to take medicines for any underlying conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes – talk to a GP if you have any problems with your medicine