Sex-Specific Differences in Pre-Stroke Characteristics Reveal Vulnerability of Elderly Women.

While the sexually dimorphic character of ischemic stroke has been acknowledged along several dimensions, age-specific sex disparities regarding pre-stroke characteristics in particular have received comparatively little attention. This study aimed to identify age-dependent associations between sex and risk factors, premorbidity, and living situation in patients with ischemic stroke to foster the continuing development of dedicated preventative strategies. In a retrospective single-center study, data of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) admitted to the Department of Neurology, University Hospital Mannheim, Germany, between June 2004−June 2020 were included; AIS frequency, vascular risk factors, premorbidity, living situation, and stroke etiology were analyzed across sexes and different age spectra.