Sex difference of ischemic stroke and its pathophysiological mechanisms

The incidence of stroke in postmenopausal women increases significantly and is higher than that of men. The overall morbidity and mortality of stroke in women are expected to maintain a sustained upward trend before 2050. The impact of stroke on women is significantly greater than men and mainly manifests in the aspects of older age of onset, more risk factors, lower timely treatment rate, and poor overall prognosis. The influence factors of stroke in women involve many aspects, including sex hormone exposure, chromosomal inheritance, and social status. Researching the pathophysiological characteristics of female stroke and the related factors affecting the diagnosis and treatment contribute to take better effective individualized treatment strategies and decrease the morbidity, mortality, disability rate and recurrence rate in women. This article reviews the epidemiological characteristics, treatment, prognosis and its pathophysiological mechanisms of female stroke. Key words: Stroke; Brain Ischemia; Sex Characteristics; Sex Factors; Risk Factors