Preventive measures do not fully protect an individual against having a stroke but may help. These measures may include:

• Controlling high blood pressure (hypertension). Blood pressure abnormalities should be continually monitored and controlled because they are a chief contributor to strokes.
  
  
• Quitting smoking. The risk of stroke begins to decrease a few years after a person quits smoking.
  
  
• Getting treatment for heart rhythm abnormalities such as atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. For example, anticoagulant medications may help prevent the risk of a blood clot forming and traveling to the brain, which can cause a stroke.
  
  
• Getting treatment for sleep apnea.
  
  
• Learning stress management techniques and seeking help for depression or drug abuse. Cocaine use, especially, has been linked to hemorrhagic strokes (strokes due to bleeding in or around the brain).
  
  
• Reducing cholesterol levels, perhaps by taking cholesterol-reducing medications.
  
  
• Increasing amount of daily exercise. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends that adults participate in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
  
  
• Maintaining an ideal weight.
  
  
• Limiting use of alcohol to about one glass of wine or beer per day.
  
  
• Controlling diabetes.
  
  
• Eating a heart-healthy diet. Findings from a number of studies illustrate how a heart-healthy diet can decrease stroke risk:
  
  
• • Women who ate fish more than five times a week were found to have a significantly lower risk of stroke than women who ate fish less than once a month. Fish is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, a substance helpful in reducing cholesterol levels.
    
    
  • People in rural Japan with high levels of vitamin C in their blood from eating large amounts of fruits and vegetables were found to be significantly less likely to have a stroke than those with the low levels of vitamin C. It is important to note that there is no proof that taking vitamin C supplements will produce the same effect, because researchers do not know which substances in the fruits and vegetables produced the effect.
    
    
  • Women who ate large quantities of whole-grain foods were found to have a decreased risk of ischemic stroke (stroke due to restricted blood flow to the brain), compared to women who ate little or no whole-grain foods.

In addition, some people may be advised by their physician to take aspirin or other antiplatelet agents to help prevent the formation of blood clots.

Surgery may be recommended for high-risk patients to help prevent the risk of stroke. This includes patients who have already had a stroke or transient ischemic attack, or people with a greater than 80 percent blockage in the carotid arteries (arteries that carry blood from the heart to the brain).

In some cases, a physician may recommend carotid artery stenting, a procedure in which tiny mesh tubes are placed in arteries to crush arterial plaque and improve blood flow through the arteries. It also helps prevent pieces of plaque from breaking off and traveling through the bloodstream, helping to prevent strokes. The Food and Drug Administration approved carotid artery stents in September 2004 for use in certain patients.

Alternatively, a surgical procedure called a carotid endarterectomy may help prevent strokes in certain patients. A carotid endarterectomy involves the removal of fatty build-up from the carotid arteries. While the patient is under general anesthesia, the plaque from the artery is removed, along with the entire inner lining of the artery.

Early detection and repair of a cerebral aneurysm may also prevent a stroke. If a cerebral aneurysm has not yet ruptured, but produces signs or symptoms that lead patients to seek medical attention, a stroke may be avoided. Surgery may be necessary to repair the aneurysm, a procedure sometimes called “clipping.” It involves snipping off the aneurysm before it can rupture. Another technique for repairing cerebral aneurysms is the detachable coil technique. In this minimally invasive procedure, a small coil is implanted into the bulge in the arterial wall. The coil provokes an immune system response from the body, which produces a blood clot inside the aneurysm that strengthens arterial walls and reduces the risk of a rupture and possible stroke.