AGE and SEX: You are a man over 45 years old, or a woman over 55 years old, or you have passed menopause or had your ovaries removed and are not taking estrogen.

FAMILY HISTORY: Your mother, father, sister, brother or grandparent had a stroke, or your father or brother had a heart attack before age 55, or your mother or sister had a heart attack before age 65.

Your BLOOD PRESSURE is 140/90 mm Hg or higher, or a health professional has said your blood pressure is too high, or you don’t know what your blood pressure is.

You SMOKE or live or work with people who smoke tobacco around you regularly.

You have DIABETES, a fasting blood sugar of 126 mg/dL or higher, or you need medicine to control your blood sugar.

Your total CHOLESTEROL is 240 mg/dL or higher, or you don’t know your level.

Your HDL (good) cholesterol is less than 35 mg/dL, or you don’t know your HDL cholesterol level.

Your PHYSCIAL ACTIVITY level is less than a total of 30 minutes on most days.

You are OVERWEIGHT by 20 pounds or more for your height and build.

MEDICAL HISTORY: You have been told that your have carotid artery disease, or you have had a stroke or TIA, or you have a disease of the leg arteries, a high blood cell count or sickle cell anemia.

You have atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease or other heart condition(s), or you have had a heart attack.

Risk factors are traits and lifestyle habits that increase the risk of disease. Extensive clinical and statistical studies have identified several factors that increase the risk of a stroke. Most can be modified, treated or controlled. The more risk factors a person has, the higher the chances that he or she will have a stroke. The best way to prevent a stroke is to reduce stroke risk factors.