Mother’s Stroke Increases Risk of Daughter Suffering Heart Attack
New research shows that not only does a mother having a stroke increase the risk of her daughter having a stroke, it also increases the risk of the daughter having a heart attack.
Researchers from Oxford University examined data from more than 2,200 women who had suffered a stroke, heart attack or angina and found that a much larger number of the women’s mothers had suffered a stroke compared to their fathers.
Men, the researchers theorize, are more likely to develop heart disease from lifestyle factors, such as poor diet and little to no exercise, while women may be at greater risk of inheriting the disease.
The data suggests that when dealing with women and heart disease, physicians should ask women-specific questions about their family history to help determine their risk of stroke or heart attack. For women, family history may better predict heart disease than obesity, heavy drinking or smoking.