Shwmae, my partner had a silent stroke eight years ago and only discovered it when she had an MRI last year for her neck. They are very common but rarely detected. Here is a small summary from Harvard Health …
“Silent strokes are actually far more common than strokes with symptoms. For every person who has a stroke with symptoms, about 14 others have a silent stroke. Researchers estimate that more than one-third of people over age 70 have had a silent stroke.”
So, doing the maths, if every five minutes someone in the UK has a stroke, it stands to reason that every five minutes fourteen people may possibly experience silent strokes. They believe it may be a contributing factor to aging related conditions like dementia &c.
However, having had one detected, they will ensure you are on appropriate medication to help prevent the possibility of a follow-up full stroke. A bit like what they do for TIAs, but I am to understand TIAs are far more of a warning that a full stroke might follow than a silent stroke is. My partner is now on post stroke meds but she spent eight years without it in blissful ignorance.
Silent strokes seem to be a hazard of entropy and thankfully they do not cause crippling symptoms but I don’t think there is anything anyone can do about it, no matter how healthy and mindful of lifestyle choices they are. There is also little option for knowing one has had one unless a person has an MRI machine at home.
When it comes down to it, even anti-platelet medication is not foolproof and, indeed, can cause bleeds. So, in essence, treating the anxiety is foremost so that you can lead a rewarding and fulfilling life without the shackle of anxiety. Easier said than done, mind.