Do you have high blood pressure? Do you smoke? Do you have diabetes? Are you overweight?

If your answer to any one of these questions is “yes,” you’re at risk at risk for stroke. There are other risk factors, but high blood pressure in particular is the leading cause of stroke—and unlike risk factors you can’t do anything about such as gender, age or race, you can do something about high blood pressure. In fact, research suggests that up to 80 percent of strokes can be prevented.

Stroke happens when blood flow to an area of the brain is interrupted. Blood carries oxygen, and brain cells require oxygen to function properly. Cutting blood flow to any given area of the brain can cause critical functions, such as movement, speech or memory, to be lost.

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