Virginia Howard

Stroke rates high in Mexican Americans

Mexican Americans have about a 20 percent higher incidence of stroke than non-Hispanic whites, the American Heart Association reported in its Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics -- 2005 Update released today. The 2005 Update compiles statistics for the most recent year for which data are available. Most of the information on Mexican Americans and stroke comes from the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi Project. About 168 of every 10,000 Mexican Americans had a stroke from 2000 -- 2002, compared to 136 of 10,000 non-Hispanic whites. After adjusting for age, Mexican Americans have a higher incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage than non-Hispanic whites. Mexican Americans also have an increased incidence of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) at younger ages when compared with non-Hispanic whites.