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Stroke risk more than doubled if sibling had one: Report

Written by: QMI Agency
Apr. 12, 2012

If a sibling has a stroke, you are 60% more likely to get one, too, according to a report in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

The study also found that if your sibling was 55 or younger at the time of the stroke, your risk of having one at 55 or younger is almost doubled -- 94% higher.

The findings come from a study by Swedish researchers involving hospital records of 30,735 people who had a sibling with a stroke and 152,391 who did not.

"Health professionals should pay as much attention to a family history of stroke in siblings as in parents, and make patients aware that a genetic predisposition exists," lead author Dr. Erik Ingelsson said.

But genetics isn't the only factor, because families also often share similar lifestyle habits -- and those can be changed.

"If your sibling has had a stroke, it should motivate you to take more preventive actions and to pay more attention to diet, exercise and blood pressure control," Ingelsson said.

The data focused on ischemic strokes -- the most common type -- and showed that gender made no difference in the outcomes.

 

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