Risk factors are those things that increase your chance of having a certain disease, like a stroke. Some risk factors can't be changed, like your sex or age. Some risk factors can be changed, like overweight or lack of exercise.
Risk factors in women and men
There are differences between stroke risk factors in men and women. Some stroke risk factors:
Only affect women. Examples are pregnancy or having diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes)
Occur in both men and women, but are more likely to lead to stroke in women. Examples are diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension).
Affect both men and women in about the same way. Examples are your age and smoking.
Women-only risk factors for stroke
Some risk factors can only occur if you are a woman. They are:
Being pregnant
Preeclampsia, a condition with high blood pressure when you are pregnant
Gestational diabetes
Taking birth control pills
Taking hormone replacement after menopause
Changing hormone levels
Stroke risk factors in women and men
These risk factors occur in both women and men, but are more likely to increase the risk of stroke in women:
Migraine headache with aura, a severe headache with certain symptoms just before the headache
Atrial fibrillation, a fast, irregular heartbeat
Diabetes mellitus
High blood pressure
Depression
Stress
Stroke risk factors in women and men
These risk factors increase the risk of stroke in both women and men:
Being inactive
Older age
Previous heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease
Being overweight
Unhealthy diet (for example, high in fat, cholesterol, and sugar; low in fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and olive oil)
Smoking
Metabolic syndrome, a group of findings and lab test results that increase the chance of stroke, heart attack, and diabetes
The abnormal lab results and findings include blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides, blood pressure, and overweight
Talk with your health care provider about your risk factors and what you can do to lower your risk of stroke.
