Sex differences in death after stroke

Women were 39% more likely to die by 1 year after a first stroke. The sex difference was due to advanced age and more severe strokes in women, according to a new study in the Journal of Women's Health.

Among women and men with a first-ever stroke, women were approximately 7 years older. In addition, 9.3% fewer women could walk independently on admission to the hospital, suggestive of a more severe stroke.

"Among those deceased by any cause, men had more deaths due to cancer (12% vs women 6%) and ischemic heart disease (8% vs women 6%) while women had more deaths attributed to stroke (50% vs men 41%) or other cardiovascular disease (16% vs men 13%), state Dominique Cadilhac, Ph.D., School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, and coauthors.

"Cadilhac and colleagues showed that women had a 65% greater risk of death associated with stroke. Not only were women more likely to be older at first stroke and to have greater stroke severity, but they were also less likely to be treated with aspirin for secondary stroke prevention," says Journal of Women's Health Editor-in-Chief Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women's Health, Richmond, VA.