University of Virginia Health System

NEW STUDY FINDS AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN AT INCREASED RISK FOR STROKE

Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have found that African American women have alarmingly high rates of stroke risk factors, and that these rates exceed those among African American men, according to a study reported in the April issue of Stroke. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in African American women.

The study shows that African American women have higher rates of stroke risk factors -- hypertension, diabetes, obesity and lack of leisure exercise -- than African American men. Prior to this study, researchers and physicians had little data regarding risk factors associated with stroke in the African American population, especially among women.

Our research clearly shows that African American men and women are different, so we should be tailoring stroke prevention strategies based on sex, said Dr. Karen Johnston, assistant professor of neurology at U.Va. and the study's principal investigator.

The data presented were generated from a multicenter study focusing on a subgroup of 1,087 stroke victims. This subgroup was selected from a larger study, the African-American Antiplatelet Stroke Prevention Study (AAASPS), being led by Dr. Philip B. Gorelick at Rush Medical College in Chicago.

Participants in the study were enrolled within seven to 90 days following non-cardioembolic stroke. Johnston and Dr. Bradford Worrall, first author of the paper and instructor of clinical neurology at U.Va., focused on clinically relevant risk factors associated with stroke, including hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, family history of stroke, lack of leisure exercise, obesity and cigarette use. They used the Federal Obesity Clinical Guidelines to define overweight and obese subjects. Lack of leisure exercise was defined as not exercising at least twice a week vigorously enough to work up a sweat. Data on cigarette use and family history of stroke were obtained by survey. Hypertension and diabetes data were collected from the patients' medical records, as well as by physical examination during their enrollment in the study.

Both Johnston and Worrall emphasized that most of the risk factors profiled are modifiable and said they hope this study will help educate the African American population and their healthcare teams on stroke prevention.

The large number of risk factors examined provides doctors and researchers with much needed data, but it also opens the door for more research on individuals with multiple stroke risk factors.

We hypothesize that having multiple risk factors for stroke increases the risk by much more than would be expected, Worrall said. If we are correct, that finding could have major implications in assessing individual risk and developing individualized prevention strategies.

April 4, 2002