2023-07-07 09:38:00
Symptoms and risk factors for stroke can vary greatly by gender, which can lead to misdiagnosis. With the knowledge of typical warning signs, you can reduce the risk.
A stroke, which results from a circulatory disorder in the brain caused by a vascular blockage or the bursting of a vessel in the brain tissue, affects around 270,000 people in Germany every year, according to the Techniker Krankenkasse. Surprisingly, 55 percent of these cases are women. Furthermore, strokes in women tend to be more severe and take longer to recover from.
While there are well-known symptoms of a stroke such as acute speech and vision disorders, paralysis, and dizziness, women may also experience atypical signs that are not immediately associated with a stroke. The Techniker Krankenkasse highlights chest pains, headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, confusion, difficulty swallowing, and hiccups as potential warning signs in women. It is important to seek immediate medical advice if multiple symptoms occur simultaneously to avoid any delays in receiving medical care.
Though most risk factors for stroke affect both men and women equally, there are some factors that specifically increase the risk in women. Hormonal treatments, including hormone therapies and hormonal drugs like the birth control pill, may negatively affect the risk of stroke—particularly when combined with smoking and obesity. Women who develop high blood pressure during pregnancy also have a significantly higher risk of stroke. Additionally, women with atrial fibrillation have double the risk of suffering a stroke compared to men with the same condition.
It is important to note that the information in this article is for general knowledge purposes and should not be used for self-diagnosis, treatment, or medication. It is always recommended to consult a healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan. Unfortunately, individual questions about specific medical conditions cannot be answered by the editors.
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Disclaimer: This article was created with the assistance of machine learning and was carefully reviewed by editor Fangyi Chen before publication.]
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