Stroke risk for Northern Ireland adults could be reduced by making one small change

The Stroke Association is launching a UK-wide campaign inspiring people to pledge to make one small change to reduce their risk of stroke ─ starting on Stroke Prevention day, Thursday 14 January ─ to stop stroke being the fourth biggest cause of death in the UK.

New survey results by the Stroke Association found that only one in 20 (6%) UK adults think they’re at high risk of stroke¹. This is despite the fact that, in the UK, more than one in every five (21%) adults will have a stroke in their lifetime². In Northern Ireland, there is approximately 4,000 strokes each year and now almost 39,000 people are rebuilding their lives after stroke.

The new research commissioned by the charity shows this may be because people don’t know what puts them at risk. Half (47%) of those surveyed across the UK don’t know that high blood pressure is a top risk factor for stroke¹. Blood pressure is one of the biggest causes for stroke and 55% of stroke patients have hypertension (high blood pressure) when they have their stroke³.

This is concerning because conservative estimates predict that as many as 1 in 6 adults have high blood pressure⁴, but only 14% of people would focus on their blood pressure to reduce their stroke risk.

Nine in 10 (89%) of strokes are associated with modifiable risk factors⁵, elements of your lifestyle that can be changed to reduce your risk. According to the INTERSTROKE study, the world’s largest study of stroke causes, the modifiable risk factors that cause the most strokes in countries such as the UK are high blood pressure, high body weight and poor diet.

Worryingly, knowledge of the top risk factors for stroke was low across the board:

Three in four people (71%) don’t know that weight is a top risk factor that can increase your risk of stroke

Nine in ten people (87%) don’t know that your diet is a top risk factor that can increase your risk of stroke.

Alun Rolph is 46 and lives with his wife Margo and son Brian in Belfast. Alun was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and then some years later, his wife Margo had a stroke at the age of 38. Alun has worked hard to stay fit and healthy and has started running. Alun signed up for his first Stroke Association Resolution run fundraiser in February 2020.

Alun says: “When I was 24, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, which I have to manage on a daily basis. Then, in 2008, my wife Margo had a stroke when she was only 38. That was a real wake-up call and a huge shock for our family. I know, because of my diabetes, I’m at increased risk of having a stroke myself, so I made one small change to keep myself as fit and healthy as possible to lower my risk.

I started running because I wanted to do something new. I travel a lot on business and running is something I can do anywhere, I just need my running shoes and away I go. It can be difficult to manage my diabetes especially when I’m doing a longer run. If my blood sugar drops, I have to take a glucose gel but then that can cause my blood sugar to spike so then I have to take a shot of insulin to bring it down. It can be a very fine balancing act.

I’ve also struggled with my mental health recently because of my wife’s stroke and being furloughed from a very fast-paced job and the running has really helped with this. It’s great to be able to do something I love and that also lowers my stroke risk. I love running and am really feeling the health benefits. I’m proud to support Stroke Prevention Day and urge anyone who thinks they could make one small change to improve their health, to take the opportunity and do it.”

Barry Macaulay, Director of the Stroke Association in Northern Ireland said, “A stroke happens in the brain, the control centre for who we are and what we can do. Stroke is the fourth biggest cause of death in the UK, but it doesn’t need to be. For those that survive, the impact varies depending on which part of the brain is affected. It could be anything from wiping out your speech and physical abilities, to affecting your emotions and personality. Many strokes can be avoided if you take action.

“When you don’t know your risk, there’s no motivation to reduce it. Most people in Northern Ireland know that living a smoke free life, drinking carefully and eating healthily is good for you, but it’s clear from our research that people aren’t always sure why these are important things to do. If more people understood the benefits of making healthy changes, more people would act to reduce their stroke risk.

“The biggest thing you can do to reduce your risk of stroke is to start by making one small change. We want to help as many people as possible to understand the personal risk of stroke and make that first, positive step to prevent having one. It can happen to anyone, at any age and at any time, but we know that people who take steps to reduce their risk are less likely to have a stroke.”

The survey results found a lack of understanding of the risk factors that increase your risk of stroke and a shocking lack of information being accessed to help people reduce their risk. Three in four people (73%) said that they have had no information about stroke reduction recently. Throughout the UK, this rockets to over four in five (85%) of over-65s, who are most at risk of having a stroke¹.

To help people to make one small change, the Stroke Association have launched a campaign in partnership with Rotary GB&I, LoSalt and OMRON Healthcare ─ pledge to make #OneSmallChange on Stroke Prevention Day and receive guidance on how to stick to your one small change. Visit www.stroke.org.uk/PreventionDayto find out how.