

Prevention and management of cerebral small vessel disease. Annual incidence of first silent stroke in the United States: A preliminary estimate. DOI: 1159/000071128 en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sodium/hold-the-salt-infographic Silent brain infarction and risk of future stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Cognitive heterogeneity among community dwelling older adults with cerebral small vessel disease. my./health/articles/6063-dementia-multi-infarct-dementia You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. Diabetes is a known risk factor of stroke. Have five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. A recent study noted that drinking artificially sweetened drinks can raise your risk for both dementia and stroke. Smoking is associated with an elevated risk for heart disease and stroke. If you’re still smoking, you can cut your stroke risk by quitting. Your LDL (bad) cholesterol should be under 100 mg/dL. Your HDL (good) cholesterol should ideally be 60 mg/dL or higher. To reduce stroke risk, your overall cholesterol level should be lower than 200 mg/dL. A body mass index of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal. And it’s not just the salt you sprinkle: Up to 70 percent of your sodium intake is in frozen and prepackaged foods. The American Stroke Association recommends that you cut your sodium intake to lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk for stroke. If you’re physically active, you’ll also have fewer stroke complications and better outcomes than if you’re sedentary. One 2011 study showed that 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week may reduce your chances of having a silent stroke by up to 40 percent. Researchers have found that high blood pressure raises your risk for having a silent stroke. Here are some preventive things you can start today: It turns out that while it’s hard to spot a silent stroke and even harder to restore areas of the brain affected by them, it’s relatively easy to keep one from happening in the first place. Play memory games to sharpen your skills.Set up direct payments of your bills so you don’t have to memorize due dates.

Use a pill box to help you keep track of medications.Make to-do lists and instruction lists to help you remember the steps to complicated tasks.Create habits for putting things you need, like medication and keys, in the same spot every day.Practice routines for completing certain tasks at certain times of the day.There are many small, practical things you can do to help your memory if silent strokes have impaired your cognitive abilities. Some doctors prescribe Alzheimer’s medications to people with vascular dementia, but there’s no proof yet that the drugs work for these patients. Professionals that can help you regain function include: bleeding in your brain because of high blood pressureĪccording to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, rehabilitative therapy can help people who have had lost some of their abilities because of stroke.symptoms may resolve in time or become permanent disabilities.

