Women are more likely than men to inherit an increased risk of having a stroke. Researchers from the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, UK, did an analysis of family history for 806 people who suffered a stroke or mini-stroke. Female participants were 40 percent more likely than males to have at least one affected first-degree relative, and this was entirely due to there being more affected female relatives Among the female stroke patients in the study, their mothers were 80 percent more likely to have had a stroke than their fathers. Among the male stroke patients, there was no difference between parents in terms of their likelihood of having had a stroke. The female stroke patients were three times more likely than males to have a sister who had also suffered a stroke. The above results lend support to previous findings of distinct maternal and paternal effects on the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Lancet Neurology,
December 2006