Stroke risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes are increasing at a faster rate among people from Black African and Caribbean backgrounds compared to their white counterparts, according to new analysis.
Researchers at King’s College London examined data from over 8,500 adults across a 30-year period from the South London Stroke Register. The study found that while these risk factors were increasing faster among Black people, those from Black African backgrounds were also twice as likely to have a stroke without a prior diagnosis of a risk factor, at 12% compared with 6% for white people.
Diabetes was approximately twice as common in Black Caribbean and Black Africans on the stroke register compared to white participants. High blood pressure was 29% more prevalent in Black Caribbean people and 47% more prevalent in Black African people. Although diabetes rates increased across all ethnic groups during the study period, the most rapid rise was seen in Black African participants, increasing from 21% between 1995 and 2004 to 41% between 2015 and 2024.
Dr Eva Emmett, lead author of the study, highlighted that current NHS health checks for hypertension and diabetes, which begin at age 40, may be too late for higher-risk groups who often experience stroke at a younger age. She called for universal improvements in cardiovascular risk detection and more targeted prevention strategies, including younger screening ages for those most at risk.
The study also identified socioeconomic disparities, with diabetes prevalence 23% higher in participants with manual occupations and 21% higher in those with lower education levels. Dr Maëva May of the Stroke Association noted that the benefits of prevention are not being felt equally, with many from Black African and Black Caribbean communities developing stroke risk factors earlier and experiencing strokes before these risks are identified.