Researchers at King’s College London examined data spanning three decades from the South London Stroke Register, analyzing information on more than 8,500 adults to assess trends in stroke risk factors across different demographic groups. The analysis revealed significant disparities in the prevalence and progression of key cardiovascular conditions between ethnic groups.
The study documented that people from Black African backgrounds experienced stroke without a prior risk factor diagnosis at notably higher rates than white counterparts, with 12% of Black African stroke patients lacking prior diagnosis compared to 6% of white patients. Among all participants examined, diabetes prevalence was approximately twice as common in Black Caribbean and Black African populations relative to white participants. High blood pressure showed even steeper differences, appearing 29% more frequently in Black Caribbean individuals and 47% more frequently in Black African individuals than in white study participants.
Over the 30-year observation period, diabetes prevalence among Black African participants increased substantially, rising from 21% in the 1995-2004 period to 41% in the 2015-2024 period. While diabetes rates climbed across all ethnic groups during this timeframe, the acceleration was most pronounced among Black African participants. The research also identified socioeconomic factors influencing risk factor prevalence, with diabetes appearing 23% more common in individuals with manual occupations compared to those in non-manual roles, and 21% higher among those with lower education levels.
Dr. Eva Emmett, the lead researcher, highlighted that current NHS screening protocols beginning at age 40 may arrive too late for higher-risk populations who tend to experience stroke at younger ages. She advocated for earlier and more targeted prevention strategies tailored to groups at greatest risk. Officials from the Stroke Association emphasized that prevention benefits remain unequally distributed, with communities from Black African and Caribbean backgrounds and those experiencing economic deprivation developing stroke risk factors earlier and experiencing strokes before conditions are identified and treated.
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