Preventing Another Stroke
Contact Us
858-657-8530
Become a Patient
How to switch your care to UC San Diego Health
For Referring Physicians
Transfers, referrals and consultations
At the UC San Diego Stroke Center, we work closely with you to help prevent stroke.
We provide:
- A careful review of your medical history, along with a thorough neurological and physical exam.
- Explanation of all studies and clinical trial opportunities that may be suitable for you.
- A complete and individualized plan to help you prevent another stroke. We take your own risk factors and prior treatments into account.
The prevention of stroke is a three-part process:
- Modification of lifestyle
- Selection of the appropriate prevention medications
- Surgical procedures to remove blockages in arteries that could lead to a stroke
Lifestyle Modification
You may need to modify any of the following stroke risk factors to reduce your chances of having another stroke:
- Tobacco use
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Being overweight
- Alcohol consumption
Stroke Prevention Medications
Stroke researchers at UC San Diego have led the country in several studies designed to identify medications that are most successful in preventing strokes and TIAs.
Some drugs alter the ability of the blood to clot by preventing platelets from aggregating.
Aspirin is the most common example, but two other agents, Clopidogrel and Ticlopidine, have also been proven to prevent stroke.
Coumadin or warfarin is a different type of agent that alters the ability of the blood to clot by interfering with certain proteins in the bloodstream.
This can give the same protection against stroke as aspirin, but only for certain types of stroke. This is another reason to complete a stroke prevention analysis if you have risk factors for stroke.