Review article
https://doi.org/10.21857/y26kecl619
Stroke in women: difference in risk factors and treatment compared to men
Vita Komen
Vladimira Vuletić
Abstract
Stroke is one of the major public health problems and it is the leading cause of death in the world with around 6.5 million deaths per year. Age-specific mortality rates increase with age and are higher in men than in women for all age groups, except at the age of 80+ when the mortality rates in women are higher than in men. Women live longer and therefore have a higher lifetime risk of stroke than men. Women have sex-specific risk factors as well as some unrecognized risks that contribute to poor stroke outcomes. Among the traditional risk factors that have a greater impact on stroke in women are hypertension, atrial fibrillation and diabetes mellitus. Risk factors unique to women include preg- nancy, gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, eclampsia and preeclampsia, changes in hormonal status, postmenopausal hormone use and oral contraceptive use. Although in both sexes stroke is most often presented by weakness of one side of the body, face or speech disorders, women may also present with more atypical symptoms of acute stroke compared to men. Women also have a longer delay to treatment, and less frequently receive acute stroke evaluation than men.
Keywords
stroke; women; atrial fibrillation; blood pressure
Hrčak ID:
290811
URI
Publication date:
18.12.2022.
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