Stroke in women: risk factors
Doctors named unique risk factors for stroke for women
Natalia Pelezneva, Naked Science
A meta-analysis of 74 studies helped to identify risk factors for stroke that threaten women. The list included features of the menstrual cycle, taking certain contraceptives and pregnancy complications.
American doctors analyzed 74 scientific papers on stroke and identified risk factors that threaten exclusively women. Many of these factors are widespread, so researchers recommend that attending physicians take them into account, and patients should report them to the doctor in time.
Researchers point out that stroke remains one of the main causes of death among women. In the USA, it is on the third place in the list of common causes of female mortality and leads among the causes of disability. At the same time, there are more women than men among patients who have experienced a stroke — this is also due to the fact that the average life expectancy of women is higher. In the United States, the number of women affected by stroke exceeds the number of men faced with the disease by 55,000 annually.
Comments one of the authors of the work Kathryn Rexrode: "Many do not realize that women suffer from stroke more often than men, and the mortality rate among women is higher. With age, the likelihood increases that the first manifestation of cardiovascular disease in a woman will be a stroke, not a heart attack. We intend to study in detail why women suffer from stroke more often and what factors contribute to a disproportionate increase in risk."
Researchers have studied possible links of stroke with several types of factors: levels of sex hormones, the use of hormonal contraceptives and medications, features of the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause. It turned out that the early onset of menstruation (up to 10 years) and early menopause (up to 45 years) increase the risk of developing the disease. The body is also affected by a low level of the steroid hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). At the same time, testosterone levels do not affect the propensity of women to cardiovascular diseases, although low levels of this hormone increase the likelihood of disease in men.
Taking combined oral contraceptives and drugs containing estrogens increases the risk of stroke. Non-combined progestin-based drugs (mini-pills) have proven to be safe. According to the author of the work, today it is not completely clear how transdermal contraceptives — "contraceptive patches", with which the drug penetrates the body through the skin, affect the likelihood of stroke. In addition, women who faced pregnancy complications — preeclampsia and gestational diabetes - were at risk.
Four articles published in Stroke magazine are briefly retold in its press release.
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