World stroke day: Women have higher risk of stroke than men

Women run a higher risk of stroke and are more likely to die than men as a result of the disease, Australia’s National Stroke Foundation revealed.

Citing the latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the foundation said that in 2013, more than 6,000 women were killed by stroke compared with more than 4,000 men. Working age women were among those hardest hit, with stroke the fifth leading cause of death for those aged 45 to 64 years.

To raise awareness of stroke among women, the National Stroke Foundation will join forces with stroke campaigners around the world on World Stroke Day, Oct. 29. The foundation seeks to highlight the need for an accessible, affordable and integrated health check program to detect women’s risks of developing heart disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease or type 2 diabetes at general practitioners nationally.

An integrated health check is the best way for women to find out if they are in danger of having a stroke where risk factors are collectively taken into account, according to Dr Erin Lalor, chief executive officer of the National Stroke Foundation. Women are found to have an increased burden of stroke risk factors such as high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, diabetes, depression and obesity, he said.

“Too many women are needlessly dying every year from stroke – a largely preventable disease. Mothers, sisters and friends’ lives could be saved by knowledge of their stroke risk, making simple lifestyle changes or treating chronic conditions such as blood pressure,” he said.

Lalor highlighted the need for the government to fund the implementation of a nationally consistent program. An integrated health check conducted earlier means earlier prevention for a life-threatening event, she said.

Women also have a greater lifetime stroke risk, according to Professor Stephen Davis, President of the World Stroke Organisation. He said certain stroke risk factors are specific to women, such as pregnancy, the post-partum period and some hormonal replacement therapies. Some kinds of stroke, such as aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage and cerebral venous thrombosis, are more common in women, Davis added.

Stroke, the no. 2 cause of death and a leading cause of disability globally, occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Like all organs, the brain needs the oxygen and nutrients provided by blood to function properly. If the supply of blood is restricted or stopped, brain cells begin to die. It can affect the body and mobility, speech as well as how a person thinks and feels. The brain damage caused by a stroke attack can also possibly lead to death.

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