Belleville, Ill. (PRWEB) January 30, 2012
February is American Heart Month, and National Stroke Association has tools and information that can help you take care of your heart and reduce your risk of stroke. Allsup, a nationwide Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) representation company, works with thousands of heart attack and stroke survivors each year, and recognizes the importance of raising heart health awareness.
Allsup has pledged to be one in a million hearts in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Million Hearts Campaign. The goal of the campaign is to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years.
A stroke, sometimes referred to as a brain attack, occurs when a clot blocks the blood supply to the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. These clots can be caused by problems with your heart, arteries and veins, or the blood, which flows through them. Fatty deposits caused by a hardening or buildup of cholesterol plaque can block the arteries that carry blood from your heart to your brain. This kind of blockage, if left untreated, can cause stroke.
One of the major risk factors for stroke is atrial fibrillation (Afib), a condition where your heart beats irregularly. Afib is commonly associated with coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart valve disease, cardiomyopathy and high blood pressure. People who have Afib are five times more likely to have a stroke, and about one in six strokes are caused by Afib. Other risk factors for stroke are similar to those for heart attacks and include:
