Women are significantly more likely to die of a stroke than men - but research shows they are also less aware of the risk factors. A survey, commissioned by The Stroke Association, shows that women are considerably less likely to recognise that eating healthily, and lowering their alcohol consumption, can help to reduce the risk of stroke.
Stroke is Britain's third biggest killer and the largest single cause of severe disability.
The survey asked what people thought they could do to reduce high blood pressure - the single biggest risk factor for stroke. Women are three times more likely to die of a stroke than they are of breast cancer, yet many women are clearly unaware of what they can do to help reduce the risk. A survey by The Stroke Association published last year found that thousands of stroke victims were dying unnecessarily because they do not receive proper care. A stroke severely damages or destroys a part of the brain. It can be caused by a clot forming in a blood vessel, so that blood flow to the brain is blocked, or by a damaged blood vessel bursting in the brain.