Stroke in women Special risk factors of the female sex

Special risk factors: Increased risk of stroke in women

In Germany, more than a quarter of a million people suffer a stroke each year. More than half of those affected are women, also because they have additional risks for a cerebral infarction. Experts point out this on International Women's Day.

One of the most common causes of death

Every year around 270,000 people in Germany suffer a stroke. The so-called cerebral infarction represents one of the most common causes of death in this country. According to experts, many deaths would be preventable if stroke symptoms were recognized quickly and those affected would be treated promptly. At least as important as the fast therapy is the prevention. Here it should be known that women have special risk factors for a stroke, which should be minimized.

Contraception with contraceptive pills, frequent migraines with aura and co: women have additional risk factors for stroke. (Image: Kurhan / fotolia.com)

Signs of a stroke

When a leg feels paralyzed, the language becomes indistinct and a corner of the mouth hangs, speed is needed - because these can be signs of a stroke. 55 percent of those affected are women.

The German Stroke Society (DSG) draws attention to this in the run-up to International Women's Day, which will take place on Thursday, 8 March.

According to the experts, women may have special risk factors. Such are, for example, the contraceptive pill or the pregnancy disorder pre-eclampsia. Particularly at risk are women with diabetes.

DSG experts therefore recommend that all women review their risk factors and specifically prevent them.

Increased risk during pregnancy

The hormones play a crucial role in women as a stroke risk factor. For example, the risk of a stroke during pregnancy is increased per se - approximately 30 out of every 100,000 women are affected.

The risk is particularly high when added during pregnancy typical risk factors for stroke. "Women who want to have children who are overweight and have high blood pressure should seek advice from their doctor," says Professor Dr. med. med. Wolf-Rüdiger Schäbitz, press spokesman of the DSG, in a statement published by the "Informationsdienst Wissenschaft" (idw).

"Sometimes it can make sense to take medication before pregnancy to prevent pregnancy poisoning - a so-called preeclampsia."

In women who have already had pre-eclampsia, the risk of stroke is even higher than in those with the typical risk factors. The main signs of preeclampsia are high blood pressure, increased urinary protein excretion and water retention.

Contraceptive pill and migraine increase the risk

In young women, the risk of stroke may also be increased if they use birth control pills for contraception.

"The risk has been reduced with the newer drugs, which contain less estrogen, but it still remains elevated," said Professor Dr. med. Armin Grau, 1st Chairman of the DSG.

This risk increases significantly with additional risk factors such as obesity, lipid metabolism disorders and smoking. Women are also more likely than males to have migraine with concomitant symptoms, a so-called migraine with aura; this is also a risk factor for strokes.

"When women with aura suffer from a migraine headache and take the pill, they have a roughly seven-fold increased risk of stroke, and if they smoke, the risk increases by a factor of ten," said Grau.

The expert advises women who suffer from migraine with aura, not to take birth control pills and to smoke under any circumstances. "Whereby the handle to the cigarette is of course not advisable," says Grau.

Familial stroke preloading can also be dangerous, especially in combination with the use of the hormonal preparation. "Patients should talk to their gynecologist about alternative methods of contraception," says Grau.

Hormones play a big role

In addition to hormones, the classic risk factors for stroke such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, lack of exercise and hypertension also play a major role in women.

The latter is one of the most common causes of stroke in middle-aged women. Concerned, Professor Schäbitz advises the following:

"It's best to have high blood pressure checked at least twice a year. If it is chronically elevated and does not improve with a change in lifestyle, such as weight loss and regular exercise, antihypertensive agents should be used. "

In addition, a stress reduction is a proven strategy to prevent a cerebral infarction.

After menopause, some women have another major risk factor - atrial fibrillation. They are much more likely to suffer from cardiac arrhythmia than men.

The expert recommends women to treat atrial fibrillation consistently. This could effectively reduce the risk of stroke by up to 70 percent.

Women with diabetes

Women with diabetes are a particular risk group: their disease risk is 27 percent higher than men with diabetes, and the severity of stroke is much more pronounced in diabetic women.

People with diabetes often suffer from risk factors that promote the onset of stroke - such as abdominal fat, high blood pressure, and carbohydrate and lipid metabolism disorders.

These factors together promote atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis), in which the arteries constrict and clog. Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of stroke in addition to high blood pressure.

"It is important to recognize and treat diabetes early on, only then can consequential diseases - such as strokes - be avoided as effectively as possible," said Schäbitz. Good prevention can have a lot of effect especially for special risk groups. (Ad)