Stroke in women is a problem of public health. The first report on the "lifetime risk” (LTR) of stroke based on cohort of the Framingham Study has estimated that 1 woman in 5 and 1 man in 6, which has reached the age of 55 years without stroke will develop stroke during their remaining lifetime (Stroke 2006, 37:345-350). The purpose of this study was to explore gender differences in the incidence of stroke, the cumulative incidence, the severity and disability after stroke in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), based on data from a follow up of 56 years. The participants in the Framingham Original (n = 5119, 2829 women) and the Offspring cohort (n = 4957, 2565 women) with an age of 45 years and in primary prevention were followed up. The authors defined physical disability using ADL scale (acitivities of daily living). The authors observed 1136 strokes (638 in women) over 56 years of follow-up. Women are significantly older (75.1 vs 71.1) at their first-ever stroke, have a higher stroke incidence above 85 years, lower at all other ages, and a higher LTR of stroke at all ages. There is no significant difference in stroke subtype, stroke severity, and case fatality rates between genders. Women are significantly more disabled before stroke and in the acute phase of stroke in dressing (59% versus 37%), grooming (57% versus 34%), and transfer from bed to chair (59% versus 35%). At 3 to 6 months post stroke women are more disabled, more likely to be single, and 3.5 times more likely to be institutionalized. These results from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) support the existence of gender-differences in stroke incidence, lifetime risk (LTR) of stroke, age at first stroke, post stroke disability, and institutionalization rates.