Stroke and African Americans

What is Stroke?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a stroke sometimes called a brain attack, occurs when something blocks blood supply to part of the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. In either case, parts of the brain become damaged or die. A stroke can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death. There are health conditions and lifestyle habits that can increase your risk for stroke including hypertension.

How Does Stroke Affect African American Populations?

• African Americans are 50 percent more likely to have a stroke (cerebrovascular disease), as compared to their white adult counterparts.
• Black men are 70 percent more likely to die from a stroke as compared to non-Hispanic whites.
• African American women are twice as likely to have a stroke as compared to non-Hispanic white women.

Diagnosed Cases of Stroke

Age-adjusted percentage of stroke among persons 18 years of age and over, 2018

	Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Men	3.2	3.1	1.0
Women	4.6	2.3	2.0
Total	4.0	2.7	1.5

Source: CDC 2022. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2018. Table A-1a.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/shs/tables.htm

Death Rate

Age-adjusted stroke death rates per 100,000 (2018)

	Non-Hispanic Black	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Men	59.0	35.7	1.7
Women	48.0	35.6	1.3
Total	53.0	36.0	1.7

Source: CDC 2022. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 69, No. 13. Table 10.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr69/nvsr69-13-508.pdf [PDF | 2.05MB]

Risk Factors

There are several risk factors related to stroke. Some of these risk factors are:
Obesity and Overweight  – See  Obesity and African Americans
Hypertension – See  Heart Disease and African Americans
High Cholesterol – See  Heart Disease and African Americans
Cigarette Smoking – See  Heart Disease and African Americans

Prevent and Manage Stroke

There are things that you can do to prevent and manage stroke:

Nutrition: Eat healthy diet (increase fresh fruits and vegetables and lower salt intake)
Weight: Maintain a healthy weight
Exercise: Be physically active (seek advice from your doctor)
Smoking: Do not smoke
Alcohol: Limit alcohol intake

Source: CDC 2022. Prevent Stroke: What You Can Do. https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/prevention.htm