Feb 18, 2008, 2:08 GMT
Guetersloh, Germany - Women's strokes are often recognised later than men's and has to do with differing symptoms, the Guetersloh-based German Stroke Foundation said.
Women, who have just suffered a stroke, frequently complain of nausea, headache, pain in the limbs and chest, dizziness and shortness of breath. Men's classic symptoms are sudden difficulties in speaking and seeing clearly or paralysis on one side of the body.
It remains unclear whether men's and women's symptoms are truly different or simply perceived differently by the sexes.
The consequences for women are 'shocking,' the Foundation said. As their strokes are harder to recognise, women are often hospitalised too late, it pointed out. As a result, according to a study by Michigan State University in the United States, half of all female stroke patients still require daily assistance after three months, compared with about 30 per cent of the men.
Although many people think of a stroke as a burst blood vessel in the brain, 80 per cent of the cases involve a blood clot in a vessel. This leads to an oxygen deficiency that damages the affected brain region if not corrected quickly.
The blood clots are caused by atherosclerosis. Risk factors include diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. One in five strokes is fatal.
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