Recurrence of cerebral infarction increases the chance of disability and even death in the elderly, but we can effectively prevent the recurrence of cerebral infarction by taking precautions, changing the bad lifestyle, controlling the risk factors of the disease, adhering to the medication, and taking regular checkups. Cerebral infarction, also known as ischemic stroke, is the most common neurological disease in the elderly, and is also the main disease that causes the elderly to be unable to take care of themselves and die. The chances of recurrence of cerebral infarction are very high, and the more times of recurrence, the worse the treatment effect, the greater the chance of disability and death, so how to prevent recurrence is the key to improve the quality of life of cerebral infarction patients. It is suggested that patients with cerebral infarction should follow the following preventive measures: change the bad lifestyle, quit smoking completely, and control the amount of alcohol consumption. The average amount of alcohol consumed by male patients with cerebral infarction should not exceed one tael per day, and female patients should not exceed half a tael per day, and of course, it is best if you can avoid drinking alcohol. Weight control Obesity is a risk factor for cerebral infarction and should be controlled by diet (especially high energy food) and physical exercise. Dietary nutrition should be balanced, eat more vegetables, fruits and cereals, reduce the intake of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol; salt intake should be controlled below 6 grams per day. Adherence to exercise can reduce the risk of recurrence by 20%, at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day, such as walking, jogging, tai chi, cycling, etc., 5-7 times a week. In addition, adjust your mindset, treat yourself and others correctly, and try to maintain a positive, open-minded and relaxed mood. For those who have depression tendency, antidepressant medication should be added. Control risk factors There are many risk factors for cerebral infarction, mainly hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity, smoking, coronary heart disease and so on. For patients with cerebral infarction accompanied by hypertension, blood pressure should be controlled to below 140/90mmHg. Currently, it is recommended that the first choice of medication should be Priligy, such as enalapril and other combined diuretics such as indapamide, etc. Other antihypertensive drugs can be used according to the specific conditions of patients. There are some misunderstandings about hyperlipidemia. Many patients with cerebral infarction check lipid, especially total cholesterol in the normal range, that do not need oral lipid-lowering drugs, this understanding is wrong. In fact, and atherosclerotic cerebral infarction is closely related to the total cholesterol in the low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein, so cerebral infarction patients should not only look at the total cholesterol level, should be examined at the same time high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein. The higher the HDL the better, it should be at least greater than 50 mg/mL and LDL should be less than 100 mg/mL. The current normal values for lipids in various hospitals do not apply to patients with cerebral infarction. In other words, patients with cerebral infarction need to take relevant lipid-lowering drugs orally even if their blood lipids are normal on examination. Many studies have shown that statin lipid-lowering drugs can not only lower lipids, but also slow down the progression of atherosclerosis and stabilize atherosclerotic plaques, preventing plaque detachment. Therefore, as long as the atherosclerotic cerebral infarction, regardless of the lipid level, should be long-term oral statin drugs (such as simvastatin or atorvastatin), but need to pay attention to its side effects, such as liver function damage and muscle damage. Liver function and cardiac enzyme profile should be checked 1-2 months after starting statin drugs, especially in patients who develop muscle weakness and soreness. For patients with cerebral infarction accompanied by diabetes mellitus should strictly control blood glucose at normal level, regularly test blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin, and control glycosylated hemoglobin less than 7%. Adherence to antiplatelet drug therapy In addition to cardiac causes such as atrial fibrillation-induced cerebral embolism patients need long-term oral warfarin to prevent re-embolism, patients with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction need to take lifelong oral antiplatelet drugs to prevent re-infarction. The commonly used antiplatelet drug is enteric-coated aspirin at a dose of 50-100 mg once daily, preferably taken orally after dinner. Oral clopidogrel 75 mg once daily is also an option, but is more expensive. Clopidogrel is recommended for patients with coexisting hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, obesity, etc. or who are allergic to aspirin. The main side effect of aspirin is bleeding, such as gastrointestinal bleeding and nosebleeds, but the incidence is extremely low. Studies have shown that the benefits of aspirin application in patients with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction far outweigh its bleeding side effects. Unless oral aspirin is contraindicated by severe gastrointestinal ulcers, hematologic disorders, etc., patients with cerebral infarction should take oral aspirin for life. Regular checkups and counseling After suffering from cerebral infarction, patients should regularly check their blood pressure, electrocardiogram, blood glucose and blood lipids, etc., and consult with a neurologist based on their findings to help solve any problems encountered. Regular infusion is not recommended There is no evidence that regular annual infusion can prevent recurrence of cerebral infarction, so we do not recommend regular infusion. In addition, medications should be taken in accordance with the doctor’s prescription and under the doctor’s supervision.