Why women are more at risk of stroke than men

Hormonal changes caused due to pregnancy or the use of oral contraceptives and the longer life expectancy are some of the reasons that explain the higher incidences of strokes among women than men said experts on World Stroke Day on TuesdayStroke is a major cause of disability and death for all people worldwide But it is the third leading cause of death in women and kills more females than males according to the American Stroke AssociationDr Atul Prasad Principal Director amp HOD Neurology BLK MAX Super Speciality Hospital told IANS that longer life expectancy hormonal factors that are influenced by pregnancy and childbirth oral contraceptives and menopauseHypertension and heart diseases like atrial fibrillation an irregular heart rhythm together with pollution are other major risk factorsldquoWomen with a history of migraine with aura have an increased risk for stroke especially along with factors such as smoking or oral contraceptives Another is preeclampsia a complication of pregnancy which doubles the risk of stroke after the fact but is rarely consideredrdquo Dr Sumit Singh ChiefNeurology Artemis HospitalsThe experts noted that women also often have atypical or lessrecognised stroke symptoms such as fatigue general weakness confusion or disorientation nausea or vomiting which contributes to late diagnosis and treatmentldquoCommon symptoms such as slurred speech sudden weakness and facial drooping are established in both genders however the symptoms in women are more disguised in dizziness fatigue nausea and even hiccups Such uncommon symptoms often delay judgement or misdiagnosis and are critical in worsening the outcomerdquo Singh saidWhile the treatment and prevention of ischemic stroke are generally similar for men and women poststroke rehabilitation programmes for women need to be more gender specificldquoOutcomes are worse and depression and cognitive decline occur more frequently with longer times to recover in women compared to men Thus stroke recovery must be approached more holistically with mental health support social integration and individualised physical rehabilitationrdquo the doctor saidThe core strategies for preventing ischemic stroke controlling blood pressure managing cholesterol avoiding smoking and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are the same for both men and womenHowever Prasad stressed the need for women to regularly monitor for stroke risk if they are taking birth control pills or undergoing Hormone replacement therapy HRT Women with a history of preeclampsia also need longterm followupAlso ReadWorld Stroke Day Why young adults face a higher risk of stroke from lifestyle choicesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever