Stroke is very scary, and with good reason. During my career, several patients told me that they were not afraid of dying from it. On the other hand, they feared to survive there while keeping heavy consequences.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke. Since it does not cause symptoms, it is often difficult to motivate patients to follow their treatment. High blood pressure over time causes premature wear and aging of blood vessels. However, as long as they are not broken or blocked almost completely, there are no symptoms. For comparison, imagine your bathroom plumbing is badly worn. As long as the hose doesn’t break or get blocked, everything looks normal and there is no water damage.

Strokes are not caused by a sudden rise in blood pressure or extremely rarely. So, if your blood pressure is usually normal and suddenly gets high or even very high due to stress, there usually won’t be any consequences. However, if your blood pressure is chronically high, even moderately, this is much more of a concern in the long term. For more on this, see the Hypertension sheet.

Regarding atrial fibrillation, this is the type of arrhythmia most frequently encountered in practice. Depending on your gender, age and state of health, your doctor will recommend antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy.

With symptoms resembling those of stroke, it is necessary to consult quickly. If you are seriously unwell, do not hesitate to ask for help by calling 911.

D^r Dominic Larose, M.D.