Ischemic stroke in France: are younger women at higher risk than men?

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Recent studies suggested that younger women were more likely to suffer from an ischemic stroke than men of the same age. Purpose Our aim is to confirm whether younger women in France are more exposed to ischemic strokes. Methods We compared male and female one-year hospitalization numbers for ischemic stroke in different age groups in France. We also used the French population data by sex and similar age group. Chi-square Tests of Homogeneity were used to assess statistical significance of the differences among men and women hospitalization numbers for each age group. Results Women in the age group 15–24 y-o experienced more ischemic strokes than men (151 hospitalizations for women vs 113 for men; p=0,0088). In the 25–34 y-o group, no differences were found between men and women (385 hospitalizations for men vs 370 for women; p=0,3497). In the 35–44 y-o group, women experienced less ischemic strokes than men (906 hospitalizations for women vs 1200 for men; p<0,0001). Women older than 85 y-o also had significantly more hospitalizations than men (15143 vs 6950; p=0,0073). All the other age groups showed a significative male predominance. Conclusion Younger women (15–24 y-o) are at higher risk of ischemic strokes than men of the same age in France. As far as ischemic stroke incidence is rising among young adults in France, an urgent awareness should be raised and further studies should focus on the possible etiologies. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.