In news that will surprise approximately no one who has been paying attention to systemic health disparities, a new study has found that Black people in England are twice as likely to suffer a stroke as their white counterparts - and also less likely to receive timely care. Because why have one problem when you can have a matching set?
The study, conducted by researchers at King’s College London and presented at the European Stroke Organisation conference, analyzed 30 years of stroke incidents from the South London Stroke Register. That’s one of the longest-running population-based stroke registers in the world, which is a fancy way of saying they’ve been keeping very detailed notes on who is having strokes and when.
Within a population of 333,000 people, 7,726 strokes occurred. And while stroke incidence fell by 34% between 1995-99 and 2010-14 - progress! - it then rose again by 13% between 2020 and 2024. Because apparently we can't have nice things.
During this period of rising stroke incidents, people from Black African and Caribbean backgrounds were more than twice as likely to experience a stroke compared with their white counterparts. Specifically, stroke incidence was 131% higher in Black African and 100% higher in Black Caribbean populations. That's not a typo; those numbers are real and alarming.
The study also found that people from Black backgrounds are up to 47% more likely to have high blood pressure and up to twice as likely to have diabetes, even after adjusting for other risk factors like socioeconomic background. Because biology, social determinants, and systemic bias all decided to team up.
Dr. Camila Pantoja-Ruiz of King’s College London, the lead author, noted that the trend “may partly reflect the lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which reduced access to primary care, blood pressure monitoring and prescribing, particularly affecting Black and deprived communities.” She also pointed to “broader factors, including racism, unconscious bias and socioeconomic circumstances” as influences on stroke risk.
The study further reveals that stroke survivors from a Black African background were 34% less likely to receive follow-up care on the NHS after a stroke, while also experiencing a stroke about 10 to 12 years earlier than their white counterparts. Because the NHS postcode lottery apparently has a racial component.
Maeva May, director of policy at the Stroke Association, summed it up: “These findings reveal that stroke is rising again and that Black African and Black Caribbean communities are bearing a disproportionate burden.” She called on the government to prioritize stroke prevention and be guided by the voices of affected communities.
So, in short: stroke rates are going up again, racial disparities persist, and the system is failing the people who need it most. But hey, at least we have the data to prove it. Again.