Black women under 35 with high blood pressure may have triple the risk of stroke, study says
Stroke risk is higher for Black women than white women. New research finds that Black women who develop high blood pressure before 35 have triple the risk of stroke.
Black women who develop high blood pressure before age 35 may have triple the risk of having a stroke by middle age, new data suggests.
The findings come as the medical community has noted with concern that the rates of stroke are increasing among middle-aged adults, while stroke rates in older individuals have been steadily decreasing over decades, according to lead study author Dr. Hugo Aparicio, an associate professor of neurology at Boston University. The study will be presented next week at the American Stroke Association’s international conference in Phoenix.
“The message needs to go out that hypertension and stroke are not diseases of the elderly,” Aparicio said. “These are things that can happen to younger people — and that Black women in particular have to be aware of the increased risk and advocate for themselves.”
Black women are twice as likely to experience a stroke compared to white women, and 50% more likely to have high blood pressure, according to the Office of Minority Health.
Strokes are more common in Black Americans than any other racial group in the U.S., the American Stroke Association says. Death rates are also higher.
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