Being a victim of violence may increase a woman's risk of blood vessel disease and possibly stroke, a new study suggests.
"Both society and the health care sector need to be aware of the importance of exposure to violence and its impact, not only on social well-being, but also on women's long-term health," said study author Dr. Mario Flores. He is a research assistant at the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico City.
The study included 634 healthy women, average age 49, in Mexico who were asked if they had seen or experienced different types of violence or neglect as children or adults. They also underwent medical imaging tests to measure the thickness of the main blood vessels in the neck that carry blood to the brain.
Those who had suffered physical violence as adults were 1.5 times more likely to have narrowing of the neck blood vessels than those who had not been victims of violence, the study found. This narrowing increases the risk of stroke.
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