Questions & Answers
1. Why are strokes more common in blacks?
Blacks are at greater risk of stroke because they are more likely than other groups to have high blood pressure and diabetes, both major risk factors for stroke. High blood pressure can weaken and damage blood vessels in and around your brain, making them more likely to rupture (hemorrhage). When you have diabetes, your body can’t handle sugar (glucose) appropriately, and also can’t process fats efficiently. This can lead to atherosclerosis, or blockage of arteries to the brain, which can then lead to (ischemic) stroke.
2. Why are obesity and inactivity risk factors for stroke?
Being overweight or obese, and being inactive, increases your chance of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, atherosclerosis and diabetes — all of which increase your risk of a stroke. These conditions also lead to high cholesterol, which may increase your risk of atherosclerosis, which clogs your arteries. Exercise can lower your blood pressure, lower your cholesterol and improve the overall health of your blood vessels and heart. It also helps you lose weight, control diabetes and reduce stress.
3. Why does sickle cell anemia increase the risk for stroke?
Sickle cell disease, which is common in blacks, is a red blood cell disorder. Normal blood cells are round like doughnuts and flexible. They squeeze through small blood vessels to deliver oxygen to the body’s tissues. In sickle cell anemia, the red blood cells are curved and shaped like a sickle, a farm tool used to cut wheat. The sickled cells tend to stick to and damage the inner wall of blood vessels and clog the flow of the blood. In the brain, this can cause a stroke.
4. Do women have a higher risk for stroke than men?
Each year, nearly 375,000 women suffer from stroke, and nearly one-third of female stroke victims will die as a result. More women suffer stroke annually than men, and a greater percentage of women stroke victims die compared to men. The risk of stroke is higher among women who take birth control pills, especially among smokers and those older than 35. However, today’s low-dose pills carry a much lower risk than their earlier counterparts. Hormone therapy for menopause also carries a slightly increased risk of stroke.
5. Why do strokes differ from person to person?
Strokes differ from person to person depending on what area of the brain has been starved of blood and damaged. A stroke in the left side of the brain can leave a person with weakness on the right side, speech and language problems, slow and cautious behavior, and memory loss. A stroke in the right side of the brain can leave a person with weakness on the left side, spatial and perceptual difficulties, quick and impulsive behavior, and memory loss.
Maria Pamel Janairo of the Disparities Solutions Center assisted in the preparation of these responses. |
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Joseph R. Betancourt, M.D.
Director of the Disparities Solutions Center, Massachusetts General Hospital
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