Why is it the African American population seems to have such a higher incidence of stroke?
The increased stroke risk in African Americans stems in part from the fact that African Americans have a higher incidence of risk factors, such as hypertension. Even allowing for the difference in risk factors, however, African Americans still have a higher risk of stroke than white Americans. Why this is so remains a mystery. We presume it is related to as-yet-unidentified genetic or environmental factors that differ between the two groups.
