African Americans, Women and Stroke

The Toll on African-Americans

• Not only are African-Americans twice as likely as whites to have a stroke, they're also twice as likely to die from stroke.
• African-Americans have a disproportionately high incidence of risk factors for stroke, particularly hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking and sickle cell anemia.
• African-Americans suffer more extensive physical impairment that lasts longer than those of other racial groups in the United States do.

The Toll on Women

• Women account for approximately 43 percent of the strokes that occur each year, yet they account for 62 percent of stroke deaths.
• Stroke kills more than twice as many American women every year as breast cancer.
• Women over age 30 who smoke and take high-estrogen oral contraceptives have a stroke risk 22 times higher than average.

Gender and race are both uncontrollable stroke risk factors. Other risk factors of stroke include age, family history of stroke or TIA, and history of diabetes. It's important to remember that having one or more uncontrollable stroke risk factors does not mean a person is fated to have a stroke. With proper attention to controllable risk factors, the impact of uncontrollable factors can be greatly reduced.

Knowing your risk factors for stroke and following the Stroke Prevention Guidelines can help prevent a stroke. Please click on the following National Stroke Association website addresses for additional information.

• Stroke Risk Factors and Their Impact
• Stroke Prevention Guidelines