Research
Hormonal
Hypertension is the most common modifiable risk factor for stroke in women, with a higher lifetime risk and prevalence in postmenopausal women compared to men, necessitating early and sustained treatment.
Monitor your blood pressure regularly, especially after menopause. Since women are more likely to develop hypertension and have a higher lifetime risk of stroke, keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range is the most effective step you can take to prevent stroke.
WeakSupportsHIGH confidence
Hypertension is the most common modifiable risk factor for stroke in both men and women and has the highest population-attributable risk... the lifetime risk of developing hypertension in the United States is ≈29% for women and 31% for men; however, ≈75% of women >60 years of age become hypertensive.
Why this rating
Based on large cohort studies (Framingham, WHI, INTERSTROKE) and meta-analyses of randomized trials.
Source
Guidelines for the Prevention of Stroke in Women
Cheryl Bushnell et al. · Stroke · 2014
DOI 10.1161/01.str.0000442009.06663.48
clinical_guidelineCited 922×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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