Here is a quick summary from an article in The Globe and Mail today:
-Researchers and doctors are examining the differences between how men and women experience and are treated for stroke.
-For years, health professionals have recognized there are sex differences when it comes to heart disease. But they’re only now beginning to learn that women also have poorer outcomes after stroke, which occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. Women tend to experience strokes later in life than men, they aren’t treated as quickly, and are more likely to die.
-Dr. Field, a neurologist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia, says more research is needed to understand the reasons for these discrepancies. Some of these differences are biological, she says. Since women tend to be older than men when they experience stroke, they may have more illnesses, and they may be more frail and less likely to recover. But there are also social and cultural factors. Women are more likely to outlive their husbands, and thus, may be living alone when they have a stroke, Dr. Field says. This could make them less likely to seek timely treatment or have anyone to support them in recovery.
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