Health care professionals should be vigilant in high blood pressure screening (Photo/American Health Association)
By Karen Stokes
Dr. Hugo J Aparicio, an associate professor of neurology at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine (Photo/American Heart Association)
Black women who develop hypertension before the age of 35 might have a three times higher chance of experiencing a stroke, and those who develop hypertension before the age of 45, may face twice the risk of suffering a subsequent stroke. This is according to a preliminary study presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2024.
Researchers investigated how the development of high blood pressure at a younger stage in life among Black women may influence the risk of a potentially disabling stroke. Data from the Black Women’s Health Study was examined. The study consisted of 59,000 Black women from across the United States who have been followed since 1995 via questionnaires once every two years.
Researchers compared participants with and without treatment for hypertension before the age of 45, between ages 45-64, and within 10-year age intervals from 1999 to 2019.
The analysis found that stroke occurred in 1,485 participants (3.2%) during up to 23 years of follow-up. Compared to Black women with no history of hypertension treatment.
“This research was motivated by the glaring disparity I have seen in my own practice. Strokes are occurring at younger ages among my patients who identify as Black and among women,” said the study’s lead author Hugo J. Aparicio, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of neurology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. “Early onset stroke, particularly at midlife, is even more tragic because these patients often have families or are caretakers for sick family members.”
“In addition, early onset stroke at a younger age is associated with an increased risk of dying, as well as a burden of physical disability that creates many problems for stroke survivors and their families as they try to re-integrate into their normal lives and return to work,” Aparicio said.
According to the American Heart Association’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2024 Update, the rate of high blood pressure in Black adults in the United States is among the highest in the world. In the U.S., about 58% of Black women have high blood pressure, while 43% of white women, 38% of Asian women and 35% of Hispanic women have high blood pressure.
According to the American Stroke Association, there are factors that may be linked to higher stroke risk.
There are certain geographic regions in the U.S. where stroke is more common and where stroke mortality is higher, mainly clustered in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the country, or the so-called Stroke Belt.
Strokes may be more common among those with lower incomes. Access to quality food, health care and other social support is often limited for lower-income people. Alcohol abuse can lead to medical complications, including stroke. Use of illegal and highly addictive substances, including cocaine, heroin and amphetamines, have been associated with an increased risk of stroke. These substances can speed up the heartbeat and raise blood pressure, causing damage to the blood vessels in the brain, ultimately leading to a stroke.
It’s important to get an accurate blood pressure reading for a clearer picture of your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Stroke is the No. 2 cause of death in the world and a leading cause of serious disability.