Stroke

Stroke remains the second leading cause of death in the world and the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. In the United States, stroke mortality rates have been declining for the last several decades. This trend in combination with the aging United States population will result in a dramatic increase in the number of people living with stroke-related disability. Increases in prevalence are projected to be greater in minoritized populations, who have higher stroke rates and greater projected population growth. Further, while stroke rates are highest in the elderly, recent data suggest potentially increasing rates in those in the mid-life. The impact of having stroke at a young age is many years of disability and loss of income and productivity that affects, patient, family and society.

CSEPH faculty are conducting population-based stroke research to understand the social, cultural, and clinical factors that underlie these ethnic stroke disparities and to monitor the progress we are making towards eliminating them. This research will aid in prioritizing policies and resources for the growing number of disabled stroke survivors, many of whom will be Mexican American. Research questions include: can we identify resilience factors that lead to better stroke outcomes? Are there populations that do not get the aggressive post-stroke rehabilitation that they need? Is stroke occurring at younger ages? Are there cultural factors that may help with stroke recovery? Do the stroke trends suggest greater stroke risk among young (<60) individuals, particularly non-Hispanic White Americans.