A landmark study has found that people from black backgrounds in England are twice as likely to experience strokes as their white counterparts, while also being less likely to receive timely care. The research, conducted by King's College London and presented at the European Stroke Organisation conference, analyzed 30 years of data from the South London Stroke Register, one of the world's longest-running population-based stroke registers.
Key Findings
Within a population of 333,000 people, 7,726 strokes occurred. While stroke incidence fell by 34% between 1995-99 and 2010-14, it rose again by 13% between 2020 and 2024. During this recent increase, people from black African and Caribbean backgrounds were more than twice as likely to have a stroke compared with white counterparts. Specifically, stroke incidence was 131% higher in black African and 100% higher in black Caribbean populations.
Risk Factors
People from black backgrounds are up to 47% more likely to have high blood pressure and up to twice as likely to have diabetes, even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors. Lead author Dr. Camila Pantoja-Ruiz noted that the Covid-19 pandemic reduced access to primary care, blood pressure monitoring, and prescribing, disproportionately affecting black and deprived communities. Broader factors such as racism, unconscious bias, and socioeconomic circumstances also play a role.
Disparities in Care
The study found that stroke survivors from black African backgrounds were 34% less likely to receive follow-up care on the NHS after a stroke and experienced strokes about 10 to 12 years earlier than white counterparts. The period immediately after a stroke is critical for prevention, leaving black patients more vulnerable to worse outcomes. Mistrust in healthcare services due to historical and ongoing discrimination may contribute to less timely follow-up.
Maeva May, director of policy at the Stroke Association, emphasized that stroke rates are rising again and that black African and Caribbean communities bear a disproportionate burden. She called for the government to prioritize stroke prevention and ensure support reaches everyone equally.
