Strokes can be devastating for anyone. But the risks and symptoms of a stroke are not always the same in women and men. American Heart Association News asked experts to explain a few of the most significant differences – and what women can do to protect themselves.
Women have more risk from high blood pressure Women and men share many classic risk factors for a stroke, said Dr. Tracy Madsen, an associate professor of emergency medicine and epidemiology at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Such factors include high blood pressure, diabetes and a type of irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation.
Of all factors, high blood pressure influences stroke risk the most. And "for a given level of high blood pressure, the risk of a stroke may be actually higher for women than men," Madsen said. Guidelines from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology define high blood pressure as a systolic (top number) of 130 or higher or a diastolic (bottom number) of 80 or higher.
A reading of less than 120/80 is considered normal. Research has shown that a woman with a systolic blood pressure of 120 to 129 – a range defined as elevated blood pressure – has the same risk of a stroke as a man with a systolic reading of 140 to 149, said Dr. Cheryl Bushnell, a professor of neurology and vice chair of research at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
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