Stroke More Prevalent in U.S. Than in Europe

A study presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2008, in New Orleans, says that Americans have a significantly higher prevalence of stroke than their European counterparts, possibly because of additional risk factors and barriers to health care faced by those in the United States.

According to the findings, compared with European men, U.S. men had 61 percent higher odds of having a stroke, and U.S. women had almost twice the chances of having a stroke as European women.