How Strokes Differ in Men and Women

Every year, nearly 800,000 Americans have a stroke, a serious and life-threatening event that happens when circulation to your brain or blood flow inside your brain changes rapidly. Even though both women and men experience strokes, traditionally, these events have been associated more with men, leading to problems with diagnosis and long-term outcomes.

Advanced Medical Care is a leading provider of stroke management for women and men in Queens and Brooklyn, New York, using advanced diagnosis, treatment, and management techniques and technology for optimal outcomes. 

In this post, Marina Neystat, MD, Maria Dolgovina, MD, Ivan Mikolaenko, MD, and Mikhail Kapchits, MD, offer an overview of some of the most vital stroke-related differences between men and women to help you understand the risks.

Differences in incidence and risk factors

First, the data. Interestingly, although stroke is more closely associated with the male gender, data show the lifetime risk of having a stroke is higher among women, with the risk rising once women reach menopause. Recent data show strokes are now also more common among younger women compared to younger men.

High cholesterol, high blood pressure, and smoking are major risk factors for stroke for both genders. However, women have additional risk factors they may not be aware of. Specifically, stroke risk is higher for women who:

• Use hormonal birth control
• Use hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
• Have high blood pressure during pregnancy (preeclampsia)

Women also are more prone to conditions that increase stroke risk, like depression, migraines, and autoimmune disorders.

Differences in stroke symptoms

Many stroke symptoms are similar in men and women. For instance, both genders experience symptoms like sudden numbness, confusion, difficulty speaking, trouble seeing, loss of balance, and severe headaches.

But women may exhibit other symptoms that aren’t as well known, like: 

• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• General weakness
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea or vomiting
• Hiccups
• The overall feeling of being unwell

A lack of awareness of these lesser-known symptoms can result in delays in diagnosis and care, which in turn can affect the additional items on this list: outcomes and recovery.

Differences in outcomes and recovery

Women are more likely to have worse outcomes after stroke compared to men, with more disability and lower health-related quality of life. Women are also more likely to experience cognitive deficits, post-stroke depression (PSD), and anxiety compared to men.

Finally, while strokes can be deadly for both women and men, data show women are more likely to die after a stroke compared to men. Stroke is the third-leading cause of death among women in the United States, causing nearly 100,000 deaths each year.

Manage your stroke risk

The bottom line is strokes cause life-altering disability and death regardless of gender. To learn about your stroke risks or to find out more about stroke diagnosis and treatment, request an appointment online or over the phone with the Advanced Medical Care team in Forest Hills, Queens, and Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York.