Snoop Dogg’s daughter, Cori Broadus, was devastated to learn she suffered a stroke at the age of 24. Diagnosed with lupus at age six, she has experienced many health challenges managing the disease. Still, the stroke may have been unexpected because she told People last fall that she had decided to take a more holistic approach to managing her condition. Broadus felt her medication didn’t make her feel her best.
She told the magazine, “I stopped taking all of my medication like five months ago,” Broadus reveals. “I’m just doing everything natural, all types of herbs, sea moss, teas. I started working out, drinking lots of water,” she adds. “So now I think my body’s like, okay, this is the new program, and she’s getting used to it.”
Lupus is an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation, leading to permanent damage in the skin, joints, heart, lungs, kidneys, blood cells, and brain, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Pain and aching in the muscles is common for those with lupus.
According to an article in the Mediterranean Journal of Rheumatology, “Stroke is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and disability in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).”
 Patients under the age of 50 with SLE have up to a tenfold risk of stroke. For some people, a stroke may be the first time they discover a lupus diagnosis.
In addition, a study presented at the American College of Rheumatology a few years ago looked at 336 lupus patients in Georgia; 75% of them were Black, 87% were female, and most received a much later diagnosis than Broadus, with an average age of 40. They discovered 38 stroke-related and 25 ischemic heart-related events or deaths among them. These health issues occurred between two and 14 years after being diagnosed. Broadus was diagnosed 18 years ago.
“Ninety percent of strokes occurred in Black patients (with the peak number occurring in the second year after a lupus diagnosis),” according to CreakyJoints.org. While most of those who had a stroke were older than Broadus, 78% of those who did were women.
If you have been diagnosed with lupus, you must talk to your doctor about stroke risks, no matter what your age. In addition, we should all be aware of the signs of stroke. According to stroke.org, they are as follows:
- F— Face Drooping (Does one side droop or numb?)
- A—Arm Weakness (Is one arm weak or numb?)
- S—Speech Difficulty (Is your speech slurred?)
- T—Time to Call 911 (Act fast and also take note of the time symptoms began)
Additional symptoms include numbness, confusion, trouble seeing or walking, and a severe headache.
