International Woman’s Day – Stroke is a Woman’s Issue

March 5, 2019
Bob Mandell

Prevention

Wake-Up Women of the World

Stroke Is A Woman’s Issue

Commemorating International Woman’s Day, I, a stroke survivor and founder of
Stroke Recovery Foundation say YOU need to know that stroke is a woman’s
issue! Researching stroke, it hit like a thunderbolt!

I never knew it, few discuss it, fewer realize it, but when you look at the data– guess what. So, we say – WAKE UP TO THE STROKE FACTS!

And one of them is that stroke can hit anyone at any age, not just Grand Ma and
Grand Pa. This week, 52-year-old Luke Perry died from a massive stroke – he’s
not the only one! Stroke is the 5th most lethal disease and the number 1 long-term disabler.

10 % of strokes occur in people under 50 years of age. That translates into 80,000
– 90,000 American’s per year, and so many more globally.

So, let’s go back to women as a stroke issue:

First, more woman than men suffer strokes. Yes, 55,000 more women than
men have strokes each year;

Second, twice as many women die from stroke as breast cancer– you would
NEVER know that from media coverage;

Third, more women than men are stroke caregivers -Your life just changed!
I WAS 53 WHEN MY STROKE HIT. I doubt my wife of eighteen months thought
that she would be visiting her husband in a nursing home that quickly after we
were married.

Fourth, here is a sad fact, and one that must be changed for a variety of
reasons – Woman are less likely to participate in clinical studies than men.
They may accompany their husbands or partners to the research, but as the
caregiver, not the participant.

They should participate more to improve their disease outcomes and, researchers
say that the paucity of woman clinical research participants slow the work of
researchers.

And fifth, and I only heard about this one this very week in Science Daily –
“woman call ambulances for husbands, fathers, brothers with heart attacks
but not for themselves.” The article went on to say, “It’s time for woman to take
care of themselves too”. This was the message from two studies reported by the
European Society of Cardiology.

So, on International Woman’s Day this Friday, and every other day –
we at the Foundation say –

Care for Yourself, Not Just the Men in Your Life!!