Strokes are the result of ‘accidents’ involving blood vessels in your brain. These ‘accidents’ can consist of bleeding into the brain or of blockage of a blood vessel, so part of the brain suddenly cannot receive a supply of blood and brain cells in that area die due to lack of oxygen. According to an article published in the Saudi Medical Journal, Sept 2010 controlling other risk factors, as well as blood sugar levels, is important for Type 2 diabetics to prevent having one or more strokes.
Researchers in the Faculty of Internal Medicine, Al-Anbar College of Medicine, Anbar, Iraq, looked at 200 victims of stroke. Eighty-two patients had diabetes, 66 smoked, and 138 had high blood pressure. One hundred and forty-six, or 73% had more than one risk factor. The researchers agreed that having more than one risk factor made patients more susceptible to strokes.
Smoking is known to be one of the risk factors for stroke. Why? It can be responsible for increasing your blood pressure and reducing the oxygen level in your blood.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, has a website dedicated to helping smokers to quit. At smokefree.com you can find a great deal of support. Live counselors from the National Cancer Institute are available online or by telephone. Quizzes can help smokers assess their knowledge of smoking and find out the best approaches to stopping based upon their individual needs. An online savings calculator helps smokers to calculate how much money they can save by quitting. One article explains about ‘smoky thinking’… erroneous reasons for smoking. An assessment of reasons for quitting helps remind smokers why they want to stop smoking.
A craving journal is available to help smokers plan ahead to avoid cravings when they strike. Assistance in finding smoking triggers in order to cope with them, is another available tool. There are also listings of more free resources and studies in need of volunteers.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects:
one in four adults in the United States 11% of adults in Australia over 24% of adults in Canada, and 28% of adults in Europe
The condition is known as the silent killer because it causes no pain before it strikes. It can be controlled with weight normalization, exercise, and medications. Everyone is advised to have regular blood pressure checks carried out by his/her physician, and develop a plan to lower it if necessary.
There is a very strong link between Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Unfortunately both increase the risk of a stroke. And of course, the good news is that strict control of both Type 2 diabetes and blood pressure keeps down this risk.
Knowing the level of your blood pressure is a good way to stay involved with your own care. High blood pressure is defined as 140/90 or higher… research shows if you have Type 2 diabetes your blood pressure should be kept below 140/80. If your blood pressure measurement goes above these numbers consistently, this may mean taking a combination of tablets to achieve this target. Lowering blood pressure to normal protects your kidneys from damage also.
The possibility of stroke is a serious threat to health and life, particularly for Type 2 diabetics, but fortunately the likelihood of stroke can be reduced.
And now I would like you to claim your Free E-Book when you click on Answers to Your QuestionsYou will then have access to information diabetics have requested over recent months.Beverleigh Piepers RN… the Diabetes Detective.
http://nowdiabetesfree.net
Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active. Copyright (c) 2010 – All Rights Reserved Worldwide
