Stroke more prevalent in U.S. than Europe

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. men had 61 percent higher odds than European men of having a stroke, and U.S. women had twice the odds of stroke as European women, a study says.

Study author Mauricio Avendano of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, said the study was based on 2004 data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Survey; the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe; and the English Longitudinal Study of Aging.

The researchers analyzed data on 13,667 people in the United States and 30,120 individuals in 11 European countries that included stroke occurrence, socioeconomic status, and major risk factors for stroke -- including obesity, diabetes, smoking, physical activity and alcohol consumption.

Overall, women were about one-quarter less likely to have a stroke, on average, than men.

The age-adjusted prevalence rate of stroke was highest in the United States and lowest in Spain, Italy, Greece and Switzerland.

The higher prevalence of U.S. stroke may be due in part to cross-country differences in risk factors and to barriers to healthcare in the United States, the researchers said.

The findings were presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in New Orleans.