Research presented at a meeting of 3,000 neurologists, organised by the European Neurological Society (ENS), has shown that men have a higher chance of stroke, while women are less likely to recover from cerebral infarct.
A study of 325 patients who had suffered an ischemic stroke showed that the standard thrombolytic therapy to dissolve clots helped women significantly less than men – three months after the event, only around 28.8% of men continued to suffer more than moderate functional impairment, compared to 44.2% of women. In a second study, data was evaluated from a total of 1,673 patients who had suffered an acute ischemic stroke for the first time between 2000 and 2006. The most striking result was that certain risk factors, which could be reduced by preventive action, were much more commonly discovered retrospectively among men than women.
In addition, women were more often diagnosed with high blood pressure and heart rhythm disorders – risk factors which are closely associated with stress. Among men, risk factors were more commonly associated with unhealthy lifestyle.
“These results are valuable because they give important indications for preventative measures against stroke for the future,” said Dr Martinez- Gonzalez. “Men and women should be addressed differently in explaining the major risk factors each gender faces.”
