[Stroke from the Perspective of Neurologists (Part 3): Update in the Secondary Prevention]

In this third edition the secondary prevention of stroke will be discussed. After the acute phase in which recanalization of an occluded brain artery is in the focus, the risks for a recurrent stroke have to be minimized and rehabilitation should be started. A systematic workup, an extended evaluation of (non-) modifiable risk factors and the clinical-radiological findings are the source of an effective preventive therapy. Risk assessment of the major risk factors such as arterial hypertension, atrial fibrillation, diabetes and dyslipidemia is established. The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and the complex atheromatosis with a complex structure are independent risk factors for stroke. The search for an etiology is usually a definition of probabilities. The most probable cause of stroke is assumed.