Stroke Risk for Woman

Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in women, killing 85,000 women each year in the United States.

Women and men are both susceptible to stroke factors. However, there are some differences based on gender. Below highlights the difference between risk, and cause of death.

Although men are more likely to have a stroke, more deaths occur in women than men, according to the American Heart Association. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics show that 60% of women who have a stroke will die from it.

In addition to these signs, women may experience symptoms that are uncommon for men, such as overall weakness, seizures, trouble breathing, fainting, nausea or hiccups. They may also notice behavioral changes such as confusion, agitation, hallucination, disorientation or unresponsiveness.

Common thinking is that a stroke occurs when an individual is overweight, has high blood pressure and/or cholesterol, or is under a lot of stress. However, ther are other/additional risks for women. Women have an increased risk for stroke if pregnant, have preeclampsia (hypertension that can occur during pregnancy), taking birth control pills, using hormone replacement therapy, have atrial fibrillation, or have migraines with auras and who smoke.

What may be surprising to many is that younger women are not immune to strokes. A research study reported that women ages 25-44 had a higher risk for stroke than men in the same age group. The study suggests that differences in stroke risk among women ages 25-44 may be due to pregnancy, oral contraceptives, migraine headaches, certain autoimmune disorders, and higher estrogen levels.

JD Miller

About JD Miller

John D. Miller is the founder/owner of Home Care Partners, LLC, a Massachusetts business providing private duty, personalized in-home assistance and companion care services to those needing help in daily activities and household functions. Phone: (781) 378-2164 Email: [email protected] Website: https://homecarepartnersma.com
SHARE IT:

Comments are closed.