Stroke outcome still differs between races

We’ve known for a long time that high blood pressure and strokes hit African Americans much more often and frequently harder than whites. With all the studies and research going on, there is an anticipation that we should be making progess in dealing with this.

The facts are:

• African Americans are twice as likely to die from stroke as whites
• First strokes in African Americans are almost twice of whites
• African American men, aged 45 to 54 years old, have 3 x a higher risk of having an ischemic stroke (brain tissue deprived of nutrients) than their white counterparts

A new study from the University of South Florida Health , has found that “Florida, black young adults are hospitalized for stroke at a rate three times higher than their white and Hispanic peers.”

Other findings:

• African-Americans were 3 x more likely to need hospital care than whites or Hispanics, which were similar
• Hospitalized African Americans, for strokes, had a higher death rate than whites
• Hospitalized Hispanics were 27% less likely to die than whites
• African Americans who had strokes were more often found to also have high blood pressure, morbid obesity, and/or a history of drug abuse, compared to whites and Hispanics
• Whites who had strokes were most often to have high blood pressure, abuse alcohol and/or smoke
• Women outnumbered men in the African-American stroke group while men outnumbered women in the white and Hispanic groups
• African-Americans, like whites, were most likely to have a stroke caused by blockage of blood flow to the brain, while Hispanics were more likely to have a stroke caused by a burst blood vessel

A good point made in this press release, Black young adults hospitalized for stroke at much higher rate than whites, Hispanics , is that researchers are “concerned that tough economic times may lead to rise in strokes and other cardiovascular incidents. ‘When people stop taking their blood pressure pills and other medications because they can no longer afford it, they have strokes and heart attacks.’”

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Image: istock.com