A stroke is a life-threatening event in which part of the brain is deprived of adequate oxygen. Also known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or a “brain attack,” a stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts or becomes clogged by a blood clot or other mass.

Stroke is a very real threat to women’s lives and well-being and is the third-leading cause of death (after heart disease and cancer) among all women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Though men and women are affected about equally by the 700,000 new or recurrent strokes that occur each year, women comprise more than half of those who die from stroke, according to the CDC.

When a person has a stroke, oxygen and nutrients are prevented from getting to nerve cells (neurons) in the affected area of the brain. Neurons are vital for all aspects of body function because they transmit information to and from various parts of the body to the brain and spinal cord. If they do not receive sufficient oxygen and nutrients, they will die.

Neuron death causes a variety of neurological problems depending on which areas of the brain are affected by the stroke. For example, many people who experience a stroke have problems with speaking and understanding language (aphasia). This is caused by damage to the networks of neurons in the brain that are associated with language. Other symptoms of stroke (e.g., permanent losses of movement, difficulties with clear thinking) may be caused by stroke damage to other parts of the brain.

In the United States, there are more than 4.5 million stroke survivors, over half of them women. Many of these women have been seriously disabled by the strokes.

In addition, 25 percent of women who have suffered a stroke will die within a year, and about 50 percent of female stroke survivors will die within eight years. That means that stroke claims more women’s lives than breast cancer. For every American woman who dies of breast cancer, two more die of stroke.

Studies indicate that women are less likely than men to receive rapid medical assessment and treatment for stroke. Many healthcare professionals believe that the same urgency associated with the prevention, recognition and treatment of breast cancer be applied to the prevention, recognition and treatment of stroke in women.