[Prevention of stroke: what is evidence based?].

On the background of aging population an increase of patients suffering from stroke has to be expected during the next years and decades. Strokes are the 3rd leading cause of death and reason for disability in Germany and many other countries. An effective treatment of the modifiable risk factors hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, smoking, alcohol consumption, and adipositas is of enormous impact. Due to the linear relationship between blood pressure and risk of stroke, the treatment of hypertension is the most important and effective one in primary as well as in secondary prevention. Treatment with platelet inhibitors plays an additional important role in secondary prevention. Patients with atrial fibrillation should receive an effective oral anticoagulatory therapy when there are certain risk factors.