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What are Risk Factors for a Stroke?
A risk factor is a condition or behavior that occurs more frequently in those
who have, or are at greater risk of getting, a disease than in those who don't.
Having a risk factor for stroke doesn't mean you'll have a stroke. On the other
hand, not having a risk factor doesn't mean you'll avoid a stroke. But your risk
of stroke grows as the number and severity of risk factors increases.
Stroke occurs in all age groups, in both sexes, and in all races in every
country. It can even occur before birth, when the fetus is still in the womb. In
African-Americans, stroke is more common and more deadly--even in young and
middle-aged adults--than for any ethnic or other racial group in the United
States. Scientists have found more and more severe risk factors in some minority
groups and continue to look for patterns of stroke in these groups.