Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Mar 2021
Sex Differences in Causes of Death After Stroke: Evidence from a National, Prospective Registry.
Background: We examined sex differences in cause of death and cause-specific excess mortality after stroke. Materials and Methods: First-ever strokes (2010-2013; 35 hospitals) participating in the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry were linked to national death registrations and other administrative datasets. One-year cause-specific mortality was categorized as stroke, ischemic heart disease, other cardiovascular disease (CVD; e.g., hypertension), cancer, and other. Specific hazard ratios (sHRs) of death for women compared to men were estimated using competing risk models, with adjustment for factors differing by sex (e.g., age and stroke severity). ⋯ Excess mortality from other CVD was greater in women (SMRage-standardised 3.6 vs. men 2.8; p = 0.026). Conclusions: Cause-specific mortality after first-ever stroke differs by sex. The greater death rate attributed to stroke/other CVD in women was mostly explained by age and stroke severity. Greater implementation of secondary stroke prevention is relevant to both sexes.