And prevention is the focus of this May's Stroke Awareness Month. Ischemic strokes occur when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain. In hemorrhagic strokes, a blood vessel breaks or ruptures. Four million people are currently living with the effects of stroke in this country. Another two-thirds suffer moderate to severe aftereffects.
Stroke kills more than twice as many American women each year as breast cancer.
Approximately 100,000 women between the ages of 30 and 65 will have a stroke this year. African-Americans are not only twice as likely as whites to have a stroke, they are also twice as likely to die as a result. African-American women have the highest stroke risk of any ethnic population. But we can only do so by educating the public about the risk factors and the importance of early recognition of stroke symptoms. Schneck explains that certain risk factors for stroke are uncontrollable.