Black people in England are more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke as their white counterparts, while some survivors also face significant gaps in follow up care, a major 30 year study has found.
Researchers at King’s College London analysed data from the South London Stroke Register, one of the longest running population based stroke studies in the world. The research covered 7,726 strokes among a population of about 333,000 people.
Stroke rates initially fell by 34 percent between 1995 and 2014, but then reversed, rising by 13 percent between 2020 and 2024. The increase was particularly pronounced among Black African and Black Caribbean communities.
During the latest period, stroke incidence was 131 percent higher among Black African people and 100 percent higher among Black Caribbean people than among white people.
People from black backgrounds are up to 47% more likely to have high blood pressure
Researchers point to higher levels of major risk factors, particularly high blood pressure and diabetes. Hypertension was 47 percent more prevalent among Black African participants and 29 percent higher among Black Caribbean participants. Diabetes was around twice as common in both groups.
The study also found that 12 percent of Black African stroke patients had no previously diagnosed risk factors, compared with 6.3 percent of white patients, raising concerns about missed opportunities for prevention.
Lead researcher Dr Camila Pantoja Ruiz said the lasting effects of the Covid pandemic, including reduced access to primary care and blood pressure monitoring, may have contributed to the worsening gap.
She also highlighted wider issues including socioeconomic disadvantage, racism and unconscious bias in healthcare.
