Developments in Brief : Stroke Incidence Traced to Mothers
Men whose mothers died from strokes appear to have a much greater chance of suffering the attacks themselves, according to a new study conducted in Sweden.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found the incidence of strokes to be three times higher among middle-age men involved in a long-term study whose mothers had died from strokes.
The findings offer some of the strongest evidence yet that heredity may play an important role in who is the most likely to suffer a stroke, which is the nation’s third leading killer, experts said.
More research is needed to confirm the findings. But the results indicate men with a family history of stroke should take extra precautions and avoid other factors, such as smoking, that may add to their risk.
The American Heart Assn. estimates there are about 500,000 strokes each year in the United States and about 155,000 deaths from strokes. Strokes result from the cutoff of blood to the brain because of blocked or burst blood vessels or arteries.
Previous studies have suggested family history may be an important influence in determining who suffers a stroke. But the new research is the first long-term prospective study examining the question.
The researchers analyzed information about 789 men they had followed since they were 54 years old in 1967 to identify possible risk factors for strokes.
When the 57 men who suffered a variety of types of strokes in the 18 1/2 years of follow-up were compared to those who did not, the researchers found the men whose mothers had died of stroke had a threefold increase in their incidence of stroke.
The men who suffered strokes also had higher blood pressure, were more likely to be obese and had higher blood levels of a protein involved in clotting. But these factors failed to explain the association with the mother’s history of stroke, the researchers said.
Nearly 30% of the mothers of the men who had a stroke had died of a stroke, contrasted with 11% for the other men.
