Calls to change how stroke research is done for women
Women are disproportionally affected by strokes. More women die from them, have worse outcomes and face more challenges when recovering, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Margie Hesom was one of those women who suffered a stroke. She had one over a year ago after a surgery.
“My friend was coming around to take me to have my stitches out. I was in bed, so I got up and I was going to say hi and I collapsed,” said Hesom.
Hesom, who is a family physician, was walking again after 11 days, but today she is still trying to recoup her right hand and her speech.
“I am used to taking care of my family, and now they have to take care of me.”
According to the 2018 Stroke Report from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, one-third more women die of a stroke than men.
Researchers don’t have all the answers of why this is, but there is a push to change how stroke research is done.
“One of the thoughts is that post-menopausal, they no longer have estrogen and progesterone, which are neuroprotective,” said Nicole Sylvain, who is a clinical research coordinator and lab manager at the University of Saskatchewan.
She said one change she wants to see is early research done on animals like mice. Currently the research is only done in male mice. She wants to see pre-clinical research involving both male and female rodents, something her lab has already done. They found female mice have more glycogen in their brains, which is a sugar-like substance in blood that feeds cells.
“The take home message for our group is it is really important to actually do the research on both male and females pre-clinically, to make sure we don’t miss anything.”
Additionally, findings like this may also lead to better treatment plans to make sure anyone who has a stroke doesn’t miss out on anything either.
“If I had been a man, I would’ve been put on blood thinners, but I was a woman so I was deemed to be low risk,” said Hesom.
Hesom is now working to advocate for better stroke recovery, saying she knows women are disproportionally affected and they need to be studied more.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.