Lea en español Stroke 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 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 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 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.
"I think that brings up a lot of questions, obviously, abou.