Healthy RGV Issue 114

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · MAY 2018
GENDER PUTS WOMEN
MORE AT RISK FOR STROKE
WHEN 30-YEAR-OLD SHEILA STEPHENSON OF RAYMONDVILLE, TEXAS, FIRST FELT A
LITTLE DIZZY, SHE WAS UNCERTAIN OF THE REASON. SHE HAD JUST WOKEN UP TO
START HER DAY IN NEW ORLEANS WHILE ON A FAMILY WEEKEND GETAWAY. BUT
WHEN HER SPEECH BECAME IMPAIRED, SHE KNEW IT WAS SERIOUS. HER HUSBAND QUICKLY
DROVE HER TO A NEARBY HOSPITAL.
Once admitted, Stephenson
was told that she had a stroke.
In the battle of the sexes, here’s one that women like
Stephenson – often unknowingly – take the lead in: About
55,000 more women than men have strokes every year.
Strokes kill more women than men annually, making it
the #3 leading cause of death in women. In Texas, 48,103
women have suffered from strokes in the past eight
years according to the Texas Department of State Health
Services, 2017 Annual Report.
“I knew I wasn’t at my desired weight, but I always tried
to stay active by being involved in sports,” Stephenson
says. “To say I was surprised about having a stroke is an
understatement. I never thought that could happen to
me.”
Gender misconception about strokes is common,
according to Dr. Juan Asuaje, Medical Director of Weslaco
Regional Rehabilitation Hospital. “Most people don’t realize
that women suffer strokes more frequently than men,” he
says. “If you’re a woman, you share a lot of the same risk
factors for strokes as a man, but a woman’s risk also is
influenced by hormones, reproductive health, pregnancy,
child-birth and other gender-related factors.”
For example, birth control pills may double the risk of
stroke, especially in women with high blood pressure
or who smoke. And, according to the American Heart
Association, hormone replacement therapy – once
thought to reduce stroke risk – in fact, actually increases it.
A recent study shared through the National Stroke
Association listed these factors that have been found to
increase stroke risk in women:
• Menstruation before the age of 10
• Menopause before age 45
• Low levels of the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone
(DHEAS)
• Taking oral estrogen or combined oral contraceptives
The study also showed a history of pregnancy
complications can also indicate higher stroke risk. These
problems include gestational diabetes and high blood
pressure during or immediately after pregnancy.
“Add this to other general risk factors for stroke like family
history, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol,
smoking, lack of exercise, and being overweight –and it
becomes clearer as to why women can be more at risk for
stroke than men,” Asuaje says.
For Stephenson, being aware of her symptoms helped her
get the care she needed quickly, which ultimately aided in
her recovery. After being treated at a Louisiana hospital for
initial stroke care, she was transferred to Weslaco Regional
Rehabilitation Hospital where she spent two weeks
receiving rehabilitation to help her recover, which included
daily physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
“It was amazing,” she says. “I went into the rehabilitation
hospital in a wheelchair, not able to walk, talk, or eat. It was
really frightening. Then two weeks later, I could not only
talk and eat, but I walked out of the hospital – with the
staff and my family surrounding me and cheering for me
as I did it.”
Stephenson says she now
knows more about strokes
and will share the information
she has learned with others.
She is now a runner and tries
to join 5K events. She says
she is more conscious about
her health and does the 5K
events because “she can.”
“I’m blessed to be alive and
be able to move,” she says.
“Whatever stage
of life a woman is
in, it’s important
that she be aware
of all the risk
factors of stroke,”
Asuaje says.
“As it’s often said, ‘knowledge
is power.’ And in this case,
the more knowledgeable a
woman is about her stroke
risk factors, the more she’ll
be able to understand how
she can be affected and
work with her physician
or healthcare provider as
appropriate to reduce them.”
30 HEALTHY MAGAZINE