Sexual violence may increase brain stroke

Ground Report | New Delhi: Sexual violence brain stroke; One in three women in North America has experienced sexual violence at least once in her life. The information has been revealed in data published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Sexual violence brain stroke

Globally also the figure is almost the same. According to UN Women, according to an estimate, 736 million women around the world have been subjected to sexual violence by their partners and others at least once.

UN Women has cited a study by the World Health Organization for this figure. This number accounts for 30 percent of all girls and women aged 15 and over worldwide. So this is a big problem.

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Now a US study has found that women who experience sexual violence are more likely to suffer mental health problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety or depression, along with injury during an attack. This can increase the risk of brain stroke and dementia among them.

"Sexual assault is an unfortunate incident. Despite this, it is a very common experience for women," says study lead author Rebecca Thurston, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

She says, "It is a harrowing experience. It affects women's mental health. This study is a big step towards identifying the risk of stroke and dementia in women."

blockage of blood flow to the brain

Thurston is a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and director of the Women's Biobehavioral Health Laboratory. He presented the study results at the 2021 meeting of the North American Menopause Society. It will be published in the journal 'Brain Imaging and Behavior'.

For the study, Thurston and his team examined 145 women who had reached adulthood in the US. 68% of the women involved in the investigation reported that they had been attacked at least once. Of these, 23% of women reported sexual harassment.

The researchers wanted to find out whether there was a link between an attack and a higher intensity of white matter in the brain. White matter is a sign of blockage of blood flow and can cause damage to the brain.

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High-intensity white matter is visible as small white spots during a brain scan. These spots are early signs of stroke, dementia, or other similar dangers. These signs can trace the risk of stroke and dementia decades in advance.

Brain scans of the women involved in the study showed that women who were abused had more white matter than women who were not abused. At the same time, it was also discovered that the white matter caused by the sexual assault was high.

early detection of danger

A study was also done in 2018. Thurston found that women who had been sexually assaulted were significantly more likely to develop depression or anxiety. Also, they get less sleep than normal women.

Depression, anxiety, and sleep problems have all been linked to poor health. Heart diseases can also occur due to mental health. For example, lack of sleep increases the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.

Thurston says the new study builds on those earlier results. Even when the researchers examined mental or other health conditions in the new study, they found that the women who were attacked still had excess white matter. In addition, they also had other health problems, such as depression or post-attack PTSD.

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