According to a new study, female smokers may be at greater risk for a more deadly and less common type of stroke.
Researchers studied the data from more than 80 international studies published between 1966 and 2013, to find that smoking is associated with a more than 50 percent increased risk of ischemic stroke in both men and women. They found that women who smoked were 17 percent more likely to suffer a bleeding (hemorrhagic) stroke than men who smoked.
According to study authors, hormones and the way nicotine affects blood fats may explain the increased risk for bleeding strokes among women who smoke. They noted that women who smoke have greater increases in fats, cholesterol and triglycerides than men who smoke.
Although the research showed an association between women smoking and an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. The findings were published in the journal Stroke.
Read more Health News.