Stroke in California: A focus on women

Background: Stroke, a leading cause of death and disability, is often thought of as a men's disease; however, annually, both nationally and in California, more women than men die of stroke. This study describes stroke mortality, along with morbidity, prevalence, and risk factors, for women in California.

Methods: First, age-adjusted mortality and morbidity (hospital discharge) rates were calculated. Next, using the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) data, stroke prevalence (65+) was determined. Finally, using CHIS, a logistic regression model, controlling for age and race/ethnicity, was developed to describe risk factors for stroke. For each descriptive statistic for women, there is one for men.

Results: First, during 2004, there were 49.7 deaths/100,000 females and 5.5 discharges/1,000 females (versus 50.1 deaths/100,000 males and 6.4 discharges/1,000 males) – or, expressed as counts, 10,049 deaths and 104,253 discharges for women (versus 6,834 deaths and 92,648 discharges for men). Next, according to CHIS, 9.2% of women (65+) report having been given a diagnosis of stroke by a physician (versus 8.4% of men). Finally, the following are risk factors for stroke: fair/poor health (female: OR=2.25, 95%CI=1.61-3.14; male: OR=1.80, 95%CI=1.28-2.54); having fallen (female: 1.72, 1.23-2.39; male: 2.03, 1.25-3.32); smoking (female: 1.70, 1.08-2.68; male: 1.17, 0.62-2.18); high blood pressure (female: 1.70, 1.18-2.44; male: 2.32, 1.59-3.39); being married (female: 1.69, 1.20-2.37; male: 1.39, 0.97-1.99); and heart disease (female: 1.69, 1.26-2.27; male: 2.18, 1.45-3.28).

Conclusions: Understanding these statistics may allow for the development of prevention efforts focused on reducing stroke mortality, morbidity, and risk factors in California, especially among women.