Death rates from stroke in England and Wales predicted from past maternal mortality

Geographical differences in maternal mortality in England and Wales during 1911-4 correlate closely with death rates from stroke in the generation born around that time. The geographical distribution of stroke is more closely related to past maternal mortality than to any leading cause of death, past or present, except ischaemic heart disease, for which correlation coefficients with stroke are similar. This relation is new evidence that poor health and physique of mothers are important determinants of the risk of stroke among their offspring.