Educating the Public on the Common Risk Factors for Stroke Awareness: Brandon Giglio, MD

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

“The best thing that we would counsel our patients is that they should stay on top of annual checkups with their primary care physician. This way, patients would have the recommended screenings for [hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes], so that they are managed appropriately before leading to something serious such as a stroke or heart attack.”

Since May is National Stroke Awareness Month, clinicians are urging their patients and the clinical community to learn the signs of stroke, as well as how to prevent one. In the United States, nearly 1 in 4 strokes occur in patients who experienced a previous stroke; therefore, testing for the cause of the stroke could assist with poststroke care and prevention.¹

Reducing the risk of future strokes will depend on patients maintaining healthy numbers of blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. As for poststroke care, the treatment will rest on the type of stroke the patient had, for example, ischemic stroke versus hemorrhagic stroke. Therefore, acting fast to identify and treat stroke will lead to a higher chance of survival and recovery for patients.

Recently, Brandon Giglio, MD, director of vascular neurology at NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn, sat down with NeurologyLive® in an interview to discuss stroke awareness, and specifically, the 3 most common risk factors. In addition, Giglio spoke about how early detection and proper management of risk factors can reduce the burden of stroke on individuals and society.

REFERENCES
1. American Stroke Association brings awareness to stroke signs and stroke prevention during American Stroke Month. News Release. Published May 2, 2023. Accessed May 24, 2023. https://newsroom.heart.org/local-news/american-stroke-association-brings-awareness-to-stroke-signs-and-stroke-prevention-during-american-stroke-month