Lifetime Stroke Risk Drops

Feb. 21, 2006 (Kissimmee, Fla.) -- A new study shows that your chance of having a stroke in your lifetime has dropped significantly over the past 50 years. And at least for men, the chance of dying from the disease has declined as well.

Researchers who presented the data here at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2006 credited the trends to better control of blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other stroke risk factors.

Researcher Raphael Carandang, MD, a resident in the department of neurology at Boston University, says the risk of having a stroke in one's lifetime dropped from 19.5% in 1950 to 1978 to 13.3% in 1990 to 2004.

Men vs. Women

Over the same time period, the chance of dying in the 30 days after a stroke declined from 23% to 13% in men. Women also saw a decrease, from 21% to 18%, but the decline was so small that it could have been due to chance, he tells WebMD.

The data were culled from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study.

"While things are improving overall, men are faring better than women," Carandang says. One reason, he says, is that diabetes -- a known risk factor for stroke -- is still on the rise in women but not in men.

Also, women live longer than men, so they have more years in which they can develop strokes, he says.

Ralph Sacco, MD, director of the stroke and critical care division at Columbia University in New York City, says that blood pressure, cholesterol, "and perhaps diet" are to credit for the improving trend.

"Widespread use of aspirin, which is known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, may also play a role," Sacco tells WebMD.