Increased Stroke Risk for Middle-Aged Women

Robert W. Griffith, MD

The Stroke Center in Los Angeles has published a report in the journal Neurology that shows the risk for stroke in women between 45 and 54 is more than double that for men of the same age. The data are taken from the national health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

The sharp increase in risk for women begins in their late 30s and rises to reach a peak around 55. The presence of coronary heart disease and increased waist size are independent risk factors, which may play a role in these women. And, of course, there are gender-specific risks associated with pregnancy, the use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy. Migraine, also a risk factor, is commoner in women than in men. It's also interesting that the prevalence of stroke between 1999 and 2004 has increased significantly in women, but decreased in men.

In another report, this time in the journal Stroke, Canadian researchers reported that the short-term risk of stroke is high within 5 years of first treatment for type 2 diabetes - more than double the usual rate. The prevalence was 9.1% in the diabetics, vs. 4.4% in the general population.

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These warnings of increased stroke risk should remind us of the need to know the warning signs of stroke:

- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

Source
HealthandAge Blog

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