Improving stroke outcomes for women Improving stroke outcomes for women

Stroke often affects men and women differently, and research shows that it takes a heavier toll on women. But why? The reasons are not well understood, and Dr. Yu has set out to change this.

Dr. Amy Yu is thinking big — really big.

As a leader of an ambitious new research project aimed at improving women’s outcomes after stroke, Dr. Yu is leading a network of more than 50 experts from across Canada. The team includes clinicians, researchers, people with lived experience, engineers, computer scientists, statisticians, educators, decision-makers and more.

The project, called StrokeGoRed, has been awarded $5 million over five years through the research networks of excellence in women’s heart and/or brain health, a new initiative funded by Heart & Stroke, along with partners Brain Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research – Institute of Gender and Health.

“We know that women and men experience stroke differently in terms of risk factors, how they're being investigated for stroke, and sometimes how they're treated. And women have been shown — in research in Canada and elsewhere — to have worse outcomes in the current way we measure stroke outcomes, such as needing to go into long-term care, or having more disability,” said Dr. Yu.

StrokeGoRed is short for Stroke in Women: Growing Opportunities to Realize optimal Evaluation, Diagnosis, and outcomes. According to Dr. Yu, the team is examining how women and men experience stroke throughout the entire continuum of stroke care. "We want to better understand what the differences are, how big they are, and how we can better individualize care.”

Exploring risk factors and patient-reported outcomes.

There are several components of stroke care the network will look at. One is a discovery phase on understanding sex-specific risk factors. Which risk factors should women be screened for? What should women be aware of when they speak to their doctors, or when they think about their health?

There's also a descriptive phase where the team will be looking at outcomes reported by patients, and drilling down on certain symptoms including sleep, cognition, mental health and return to work. “In this phase, we’ll be asking, how can we better support our patients? Or, where do we need more research to find better treatments or management strategies for these symptoms?” Dr. Yu explained.

Personalized stroke care for better outcomes.

StrokeGoRed aims to uncover new insights that will help individualize stroke care and treatment, ultimately improving outcomes for women. But Dr. Yu stresses that the benefits will extend beyond women alone.

“If we can individualize treatment, we can improve the lives of women and men living with the effects of stroke.”