Times of India
30 October 2010
By Durgesh Nandan Jha
New Delhi, India

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

Stroke–prone? Log on to this site
The Advanced Neurosciences Institute at BGS Global Hospitals has launched a free online health check–up for stroke. All that a person needs to do is key in his/her health parameters to identify the risk level of getting a stroke. Based on the result, the person can choose to consult a specialist and take adequate measures to prevent an attack. Interested persons can visit www.ansi.in and click on "Prevent Brain Attack" for an assessment.