A stroke is usually caused by a clot that stops the flow of blood to an area of the brain. Stroke can cause paralysis, loss of speech, and poor memory. Stroke is the third leading cause of death for American women, and it kills more than twice as many women each year as breast cancer. It is the most common cause of adult disability in this country.
Women account for 43 percent (or 240,000) of the 550,000 strokes that occur each year and 61 percent of stroke deaths (97,227 of 159,791 annual deaths). Stroke occurs at a higher rate among African American and Hispanic women than among white women.
Taken together, stroke and heart disease kill nearly twice as many American women as do all types of cancer combined. More than one woman in five in this country has some form of major heart or blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease. However, in a 1997 national survey, only 8 percent of American women recognized heart disease and stroke as the leading cause of women's deaths.
