Stroke exhibits familial aggregation, and the history of stroke in first-degree relatives is associated with the incidence risk of stroke, with maternal and sibling stroke history demonstrating a stronger association with the incidence risk of stroke.
Having any first-degree relative with a history of stroke was associated with a significantly higher risk of stroke incidence.
Maternal history of stroke was significantly associated with increased incidence risk of stroke in offspring.
Sibling history of stroke was significantly associated with increased incidence risk of stroke.
Paternal history of stroke and parental history of stroke were not significantly associated with stroke incidence risk.
Stroke was classified into early-onset and late-onset subtypes, and first-degree relatives' stroke history was associated with both subtypes.
The authors concluded that genetics and family environment reflected by maternal and sibling stroke history may play an important role in the intergenerational transmission of stroke risk.
This research suggests that having a close family member who has had a stroke meaningfully increases a person's own risk of having a stroke. Using data from nearly 3,631 people followed for about 7 years in China, researchers found that people with a first-degree relative (parent or sibling) who had a stroke were 24% more likely to have a stroke themselves compared to those without such family history. Over the course of the study, 1,337 new strokes occurred among participants. Importantly, not all family relationships carried the same risk. Having a mother or a sibling who had a stroke was significantly linked to higher personal stroke risk, while having a father who had a stroke was not statistically associated with increased risk. The mother's stroke history was associated with both strokes that occur at younger ages (early-onset) and older ages (late-onset), with a somewhat stronger association for early-onset strokes. This pattern of maternal and sibling influence — but not paternal — suggests that factors shared through the mother's side, such as certain genetic traits or shared lifestyle and environmental exposures within families, may be particularly important in passing stroke risk from one generation to the next. This research suggests that knowing about a mother's or sibling's stroke history could be a valuable piece of information for identifying people at higher risk of stroke, potentially earlier in life. It highlights that stroke tends to run in families — a phenomenon known as familial aggregation — and that the reasons for this likely involve a combination of inherited biology and shared family environments. These findings could help inform more targeted stroke prevention strategies for people with relevant family histories.
Wang H, Wu Y, Wang K, Yang R, Yu H, Zheng L, et al.. (2026). [Association between different types of first-degree relatives' stroke history and the incidence risk of stroke: A prospective cohort study].. Beijing da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Peking University. Health sciences. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42880921/