Black-white differences in stroke incidence in a national sample: the contribution of hypertension and diabetes mellitus

Article Abstract:

Statistical and demographic studies have consistently shown the risk of stroke to be greater in both black men and women than in whites. Many of these studies have implicated the higher rates of diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure) among blacks as being related to their increased stroke mortality. This assumption is tested in a new statistical analysis of national health data. A group of 1,298 Afro-American and 7,814 whites, aged 35 to 74 years, were followed for a period of ten years. The statistical model separates and removes the excessive risks associated with either diabetes or hypertension, and demonstrates that the risk of stroke in both male and female blacks is greater than the corresponding risk in white males and females. Analysis of the effect of race on stroke risk in individuals with either hypertension or diabetes was not statistically different; the risk of hypertension or diabetes causing a stroke in a black individual was not greater than in a white person. Although the reduction of hypertension, and the control of diabetes remain important therapeutic goals for controlling the risk of stroke, other unknown factors are involved in the elevated stroke risk for blacks. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Causes of, Statistics, Demographic aspects, Health, Health and race, Ethnic groups, Blacks

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Pregnancy and the risk of stroke

Article Abstract:

The postpartum period after pregnancy seems to be associated with an increased risk of stroke but the reason is not clear. Researchers reviewed the medical records of 2,309 adults between 15 and 44 years old who suffered a stroke. Seventeen strokes and 14 cerebral hemorrhages were related to pregnancy. The risk of stroke during pregnancy was low but the risk in the postpartum period was 8.7 times greater than in non-pregnant women. The risk of cerebral hemorrhage during pregnancy was 2.5 times greater and 28.3 times greater in the postpartum period. There were few clear predisposing characteristics in the group.

Puerperium

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Epidemiologic assessment of the role of blood pressure in stroke: the Framingham Study

Article Abstract:

The 1970 report linking high blood pressure to stroke is reprinted. The Framingham study followed 5,209 healthy men and women aged 30 to 60 for 14 years. Increasing blood pressure was associated with increased risk of stroke, but blood pressures of 160/95 or more set a reasonable threshold for diagnosing hypertension in that the risk of stroke or heart disease tripled at that level. Despite common belief, the systolic, or upper value, was revealed to be as important as the diastolic, or lower value in predicting stroke, and elevated blood pressure in the elderly was not benign.

Hypertension, Complications and side effects

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