February 24, 2020
In a new study in JAMA Neurology, Dr. Hooman Kamel and colleagues found that the short-term risk of a second stroke following an initial minor stroke is about 60 percent higher among African American patients than white patients. Analyzing data gathered previously for a large clinical trial, the team noted that roughly 8 percent of the African American patients suffered new strokes within the high-risk period following their initial stroke, compared with only 5 percent of the white patients. The higher risk among the African American population was not explained by differences in known risk factors, such as higher blood pressure or adherence to medication regimen.