Smoking causes brain stroke for women

Increased instances of smoking is pushing up brain stroke cases among women, according to doctors. Doctors say women are at higher risk of stroke due to anaemia, blood loss during periods and pregnancy-related factors and smoking only aggravates the problem. They say that nicotine present in the cigarettes smoking causes blood vessels to thin and leads to stroke.

"At AIIMS, we conducted a survey on stroke patients recently. It was found that 33% patients smoked. Young girls and office-going women are increasingly taking to smoking these days as they find it fashionable or a stressbuster. Smoking adds to the risks of stroke and it should be avoided,'' says Dr Kameshwar Prasad, a professor in the department of neurology at the premier institute. He says that smoking, combined with the intake of contraceptive pills, increases the risk of stroke by two to three times.

Dr J D Mukherji, head of the neurology department at Max Hospital, Saket, says the risk of stroke is higher in pregnant women or those who have recently delivered a baby due to natural changes in the body, including high blood pressure, increased production of blood clotting factors and significant blood loss during delivery. "A decreased level of estrogen during menopause can increase the risk of stroke,'' he says.

A recent survey on use of tobacco in India released by the Union health ministry showed use of tobacco among women has increased from 11.5% in 2005 to 20.3% in 2010. "Signs like sudden severe headache, weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, trouble in speaking or understanding speech, blurred vision are some of the symptoms of stroke. One should be cautious and must approach a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment,'' says Dr Rohit Bhatia, associate professor of neurology at AIIMS.