Family history of stroke among Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white patients with stroke and TIA: implications for the feasibility and design of stroke genetics research.

Family history of stroke may differ by ethnicity. This study examined the associations of ethnicity and stroke risk factors with family history of stroke using data from the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi Project. A random sample of stroke/transient ischemic attack cases was interviewed about family history of stroke (n = 524). Thirty-six percent of the cases reported a family history of stroke, with 26% reporting a parental and 13% a sibling history. Compared to non-Hispanic whites (NHWs), Mexican-Americans (MAs) were two times (OR = 2.07; 95% CI: 1.09-3.95) more likely to have a sibling with stroke. More MAs (8.1%; 95% CI: 4.6-11.6) had living siblings with stroke compared to NHWs (1.9%; 95% CI: 0.1-3.8). Since MAs are more likely to have living siblings with stroke compared with NHWs, MAs may be a more feasible population for family stroke studies than predominantly white populations.