Sex and gender differences in stroke - the need for individualised follow-up.

In this issue of the European Journal of Neurology, Phan and colleagues present data on sex differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after stroke from a first-ever stroke registered in the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry from 2010 - 2014.1 HRQoL was assessed with the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D-3L). Older women and young men reported poorer health- related quality of life post-stroke as compared to other groups. The results were influenced by pre-stroke factors, such as stroke severity and comorbidities, but not by clinical care or socioeconomic status. For instance, older women had more dementia and atrial fibrillation, they were more often dependent pre-stroke and more often lived alone prior to admission.1 This is in line with several results in the field. It is well established that older women are less likely to have adequate blood pressure control, treated with antithrombotic drug and to be anticoagulated for atrial fibrillation when compared with other groups, all associated with risk of cognitive decline.