But first, let's talk about the misconceptions about stroke prevention: One is that it’s only something you need to worry about later in life. Actually, cardiologists stress that the groundwork for stroke risk is often laid decades earlier. Factors like chronic inflammation, unmanaged blood pressure, insulin resistance and poor sleep increase risk over time, even if you feel generally healthy. This is why experts emphasize tracking trends in your health markers, not just whether a single lab value falls inside a “normal” range.
This is also why cardiologists increasingly encourage patients to be proactive during annual checkups and ask for a more complete picture of cardiovascular health. Understanding the full scope of your risk can help guide lifestyle changes, medication decisions and follow-up testing that may significantly reduce your chances of having a stroke down the line.
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"ApoB is a better marker than cholesterol for assessing stroke risk because it measures all of the atherogenic (or sticky) particles that are associated with increased stroke risk," saysDr. Heather Swales, MD, cardiologist at Hartford HealthCare. "Sometimes a patient may have a low LDL (bad cholesterol) number, but a lot of other particles that are not usually measured in a cholesterol panel (such as VLDL and remnants) and these particles may be significant in number, making the risk for stroke high, despite a low LDL number."
What Is a Good ApoB Score?
According to Harvard Health, in healthy people, ApoB values less than 90 mg/dL are typically considered acceptable; however, those between 90 and 129 mg/dL are considered borderline high to moderately elevated. ApoB values greater than 130 mg/dL are linked to a much higher risk for cardiovascular disease.
Related: This Afternoon Habit Could Be Silently Raising Your Risk of Stroke
If this doesn't adequately control your levels, then a discussion with your physician regarding medications is appropriate, Dr. London adds.
3 Other Stroke Risk Factors To Keep an Eye On
While ApoB is an important health number to keep an eye on, there are also some other lifestyle factors you should keep in mind to help decrease your stroke risk.
Related: This Blood Type May Put You at the Greatest Risk for Stroke
2. Sleep disorders
3. Underlying conditions
According to Dr. Swales, there are certain cardiovascular conditions, such as atrial fibrillation, and hematologic disorders, such as sickle cell anemia, that can increase your risk for stroke. If you have a history of either of these types of disorders, then you'll want to speak with your doctor about available treatment options to improve your health and quality of life.
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Dr. Heather Swales, MD, cardiologist at Hartford HealthCare.Dr. David Hsi, MD, chief of cardiology and co-director of the Heart and Vascular Institute at Stamford HealthDr. Jeremy London, MD, board-certified cardiovascular surgeon,Is an apoB test a better way to check your cholesterol?Harvard Health. How High Blood Pressure Can Lead to Stroke. American Heart Association.Hence then, the article about why experts say this health number matters more than cholesterol for stroke risk was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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