Non-traditional risks for stroke in women increase

According to a study by the European Stroke Organisation (ESO) stress factors due to work stress, sleep disturbances and fatigue at work could lead to higher risks of stroke. The researchers compared data from 22,000 men and women from the 2007, 2012, and 2017 Swiss Health Survey and found an "alarming" increase in the number of women reporting nontraditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

This trend was accompanied by an increase in the number of women working full-time from 38 percent in 2007 to 44 percent in 2017. Study authors Martin Hänsel, M.D., a neurologist at University Hospital Zurich, and Susanne Wegener, M.D., professor of neurology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, commented, "Our study found that men were more likely to smoke and be obese than women. However, women reported a greater increase in nontraditional risk factors for heart attacks and strokes, such as work stress, sleep disturbances, and feeling tired and fatigued."

More sleep disorders in women

Overall, for both genders, those reporting stress at work increased from 59 percent in 2012 to 66 percent in 2017, and those feeling tired and exhausted increased from 23 percent to 29 percent (to 33 percent for women and 26 percent for men). Those reporting sleep disturbances increased from 24 percent to 29 percent, with severe sleep disturbances also increasing more among women (8 percent) than men (5 percent).

However, the study also found that traditional risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease have remained stable over the same period: 27 percent suffered from high blood pressure, 18 percent from elevated cholesterol levels and 5 percent from diabetes. Obesity increased to 11 percent, and smoking decreased from about 10.5 to 9.5 cigarettes per day, both of which were more common in men.

Source: European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC) 2021