Risk factors for stroke include diet, exercise habits, heredity and environment. Women, sometimes show different symptoms disease process for several conditions. The same is true regarding risk factors for certain conditions. Stroke is one of them. In fact, during the month of February, the American Heart Association published an article on new standards for assessing stroke risk factors for women.
Stroke Specific to Women
Women with a history of high blood pressure before pregnancy should be considered for low-dose aspirin and/or calcium supplement therapy to lower preeclampsia risks.
Women who have preeclampsia have twice the risk of stroke and a four-fold risk of high blood pressure later in life. Therefore, preeclampsia should be recognized as a risk factor well after pregnancy, and other risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol, and obesity in these women should be treated early.
Pregnant women with moderately high blood pressure (150-159 mmHg/100-109 mmHg) may be considered for blood pressure medication, whereas expectant mothers with severe high blood pressure (160/110 mmHg or above) should be treated.
Women should be screened for high blood pressure before taking birth control pills because the combination raises stroke risks.
Women who have migraine headaches with aura should stop smoking to avoid higher stroke risks.
Women over age 75 should be screened for atrial fibrillation risks due to its link to higher stroke risk.
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/02/stroke-specialists-group-issues-new-guidelines-for-women-99968.html
