Another risk for those of us in the South

In the ‘Stroke Belt,’ Erosion of Memory Is More Likely Too

People in a large area of the American South have long been known to have more strokes and to be more likely to die from them than people living elsewhere in the country.

Now, a large national study suggests the so-called stroke belt may have another troubling health distinction. Researchers have found that Southerners there also are more likely to experience a decline in cognitive ability over several years — specifically, problems with memory and orientation.

Underlying risk factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity may certainly be factors, but the researchers--at least two of whom are themselves Southerners--also question whether those with problems might have had an under-supply of blood to the brain or undetectable 'mini-strokes' as a result of those factors.

Kentucky was not included in the Stroke Belt states studied (they were Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee), but it has its fair share of those underlying problems. And as someone who has all but the hypertension (well, I don't have high cholesterol, but my triglycerides are off, so I'm on cholesterol medicine), I found this interesting.