Stroke Report

[AnticoagulateNow]

An article following on from last week's Stroke Association report which does mention, albeit briefly, AF.

home.bt.com/lifestyle/wellb...

[dedeottie]

Thanks. A very clear article. I would be interested to know the science behind too much sleep(thinking of my husband here!).

[AnticoagulateNow]

One thing I find rather odd - I'm sure there must be an explanation. Statistically, for every three men that have strokes only two women are afflicted. Assuming population gender is roughly 50/50, that tells me men are more likely to have a stroke than women. So, why does 'being female' add a point to CHADS scores?

[Alil in reply to AnticoagulateNow]

Dr John Mandrola explains it clearly here drjohnm.org/2011/10/female-...

Not very cheerful reading for we ladies!

[AnticoagulateNow in reply to Alil]

Thanks Alil but still left with questions. These studies, which are clearly very credible, are saying that the risk of having a stroke is higher in women with AF versus men with AF, even though the reverse is true (significantly) among the overall population.

I wonder what it is about AF that suddenly makes women more vulnerable once they have the condition.

[fallingtopieces in reply to AnticoagulateNow]

"Women's hearts and arteries are smaller than men's. "Small arteries in women are more than a simple reflection of smaller body size," The difference is due, in part, to sex hormones: estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. While male hormones enlarge arteries, female hormones make them smaller. This makes women's arteries more prone to blood clots or plaque blockages, and more difficult to repair with angioplasty or bypass surgery. Smaller blood vessels may also be behind other vascular problems, such as migraines and inflammatory diseases (for example, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis), which affect more women than men."

[AnticoagulateNow in reply to fallingtopieces]

In the article at top of post ftp it tells us that 6200 men versus 4600 women suffered strokes in 2014. That is not saying that women are more likely to suffer strokes than men, is it? That's my point. Anyway, off on a long distance walk now so no more responses from me for a few days.

Collective sigh of relief......