Women Have Double the Risk of Mid-Life Stroke

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One expert was intrigued by the findings.

"These data certainly question what we previously thought of as fact -- that middle-aged men, simply by being men, are at greater risk of stroke," said Dr. Emil Matarese, spokesman for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and director of the Stroke Center at Saint Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Penn. "But there is not enough data here to explain that disparity," he added.

However, stroke among middle-aged women is becoming a bigger problem as the society ages, Matarese said. "This is going to become a greater health-care crisis in our country with more women suffering strokes as they age than in the past," he said.

Matarese noted that other factors may boost the risk of stroke among middle-aged women, including reduced estrogen production, use of hormone replacement therapy and oral contraceptives, and an increase in migraines.

"This is a wake-up call for the health care community, regardless of whether the statistics here are adequate to make long term conclusions," Matarese said. "This is a wakeup call to start looking at women in a more aggressive manner and to start reducing their risk of heart attack and stroke."

More information

For more information on women and stroke, visit the American Heart Association.