EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, July 15, 2026
Among Black people in the U.S., country of birth associated with stroke risk
People born in other countries had lower stroke risk
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4:00 P.M. ET, WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2026
MINNEAPOLIS 鈥 For Black individuals in the United
States, being born in another country was associated with a lower risk of
stroke, according to a study published July 15, 2026, in , the
medical journal of the
鈥淚n the United States, people who identify as Black have a
higher rate of stroke compared to other groups, and are often treated as single
category of people, which can hide variations related to birthplace and
immigration status,鈥 said study author Alejandro Vargas, MD, MS, of Rush
University Medical Center in Chicago and a Fellow of the American Academy of
Neurology. 鈥淥ur study looked at stroke survivors, their place of birth and when
they immigrated and found lower risks of stroke for people born outside of the
U.S.鈥
The study included 64,717 adults who identified as Black in
a national survey. Of participants, 88% were born in the U.S., 8% were born in the
Caribbean, South and Central America, and 4% were born in Africa.
Researchers determined which participants had a stroke by
reviewing responses on the survey to the question 鈥淗ave you ever been told by a
doctor or health professional that you have had a stroke?鈥
A total of 2,549 people reported having a stroke. The prevalence
of stroke was 4.3% for those born in the U.S., 1.5% for those born in the Caribbean,
South and Central America and 0.8% for those born in Africa.
Compared to stroke survivors born in other countries, those
born in the U.S. were younger, less likely to have a college education and had
higher rates of smoking and obesity.
After adjusting for factors such as age, smoking status and income,
researchers found
that people born in the Caribbean, South and Central America had 53% lower odds
of stroke than those born in the U.S. and people born in Africa had 57% lower
odds of stroke. People who had immigrated within 15 years of the survey had 73%
lower odds of stroke.
鈥淎mong Black individuals with stroke, those born in the
Caribbean, South and Central America and Africa were less likely to have had a
stroke compared to those born in the United States, regardless of region of
birth, time spent in the U.S. or time since migration,鈥 said Vargas. 鈥淥ur study
suggests a healthy immigrant effect in which recent immigrants are healthier
than the general population. This may be due to differences in stroke risk
factors such as high blood pressure or stress. Grouping all racial and ethnic
populations together can hide important health trends and hinder efforts to
create targeted interventions.鈥
A limitation of the study was that the number of people born
in other countries was small compared to the number born in the United States.
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