Oct 3, 2018
Cells and platelets stick inside arteries, increase risk after initial attack
The original article was first published on ScienceDaily.com
Doctors have long known that in the months after a heart attack or stroke, patients are more likely to have another attack or stroke. Now, a paper in the Journal of the American College of Cardiologyexplains what happens inside blood vessels to increase risk — and suggests a new way to treat it.
Heart attacks in mice caused inflammatory cells and platelets to more easily stick to the inner lining of arteries throughout the body — and particularly where there was already plaque, according to the paper. As a result, these sticky cells and platelets caused plaque to become unstable and contribute to blood clots that led to another heart attack or stroke.
But the study found treating mice that had experienced a heart attack or stroke with the powerful antioxidant apocynin cut plaque buildup in half and lowered inflammation to pre-attack levels.
“Knowing that newer forms of antioxidants such as apocynin can lower the risk of a second heart attack or stroke gives us a new treatment to explore and could one day help reduce heart attacks and strokes,” said the paper’s corresponding author, Jonathan R. Lindner, M.D., a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the OHSU School of Medicine.
Lindner penned the research paper with colleagues from OHSU, Scripps Research Institute and Bloodworks NW.
The researchers discovered the sticky cells and platelets by using unique forms of ultrasound imaging they developed to view molecules on the lining of blood vessels.
This research could help explain why the recent Canakinumab Anti-inflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Study, also known as the CANTOS clinical trial, found an anti-inflammatory drug already approved to treat juvenile arthritis also reduced the risk of a second heart attack in trial participants by 15 percent.
Lindner and his colleagues are further studying how the relative stickiness of remote arteries affects the risks for additional heart attacks and strokes and are also evaluating new therapies beyond antioxidants.
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01-HL078610, R01-HL130046, R01-HL091153, R01-HL11763, HL42846, HL78784), NASA (grant 14-14NSBRI1-0025) and the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Story Source: Oregon Health & Science University. “Antioxidant reduces risk for second heart attack, stroke: Cells and platelets stick inside arteries, increase risk after initial attack.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 September 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180904164639.htm>.
Nov 14, 2017
If you have a heart attack or stroke, it’s important to get your “bad” cholesterol measured by your doctor on a follow up visit. Researchers have found that one step is significantly associated with a reduced risk of suffering another serious cardiovascular episode.
The new research, conducted by researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, found that patients who don’t follow up with their doctor by getting a low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol test following a heart attack or stroke are significantly more likely to have a reccurrence. (more…)
Aug 19, 2016
Using aspirin urgently could substantially reduce the risk of major strokes in patients who have minor ‘warning’ events, a group of European researchers has found. Writing in the Lancet, the team say that immediate self-treatment when patients experience stroke-like symptoms would considerably reduce the risk of major stroke over the next few days.
Aspirin is already given to people who have had a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA — often called a ‘mini-stroke’) to prevent further strokes after they have been assessed in hospital and in the longer-term, reducing the subsequent stroke risk by about 15%. However, based on a previous study in Oxford (the EXPRESS Study) the team suspected that the benefits of more immediate treatment with aspirin could be much greater. (more…)
May 9, 2023
A variety of factors influence the chance that someone may have a stroke. Some risk factors are modifiable: risk of stroke can be reduced through changes to diet or level of exercise, for example. Others are not modifiable, such as age.
Non-modifiable risk factors:
Age: the chance of having a stroke more than. doubles every decade after the age of 55
Family history: If a close relative (parent, grandparent, brother or sister) has had a stroke, your risk is likely to be higher.
Ethnicity: While specific causes are unknown, people of African, African Caribbean and South Asian heritage have a higher risk of having a stroke.
Modifiable risk factors:
High blood pressure: high blood pressure is present in the majority of people who have a stroke. Changes in diet and exercise; giving up smoking; and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption can all help to reduce high blood pressure. High blood pressure can also be treated with a variety of medicines. A diet that is high in fibre, fruit and fresh vegetables; low in salt, high fat and processed foods can help to reduce blood pressure levels.
High cholesterol: high cholesterol can make blood vessels clog up more easily, increasing the risk of stroke.
Lack of exercise: lack of regular daily exercise increases your risk of stroke.
Diabetes: diabetes also increases the risk of blood vessels clogging up, thus making a stroke more likely. The modifiable risk factors for type 2 diabetes are the same as for stroke. – high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and low levels of exercise.
Sickle Cell Disease: people with sickle cell disease have a greater risk of having a stroke.
Atrial Fibrillation: people with an uneven heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) have a higher risk of stroke. Atrial fibrillation is treated using anti-coagulation medication which reduces the risk of stroke.
Individuals can reduce their risk of stroke by:
- Stopping smoking
- Reducing alcohol intake
- Staying a healthy weight
- Eating a healthy, balance diet
- Taking daily exercise.
For more information click here: https://strokeprevention.info
Dec 6, 2019
First published on ScienceDaily.com
The high levels of environmental noise we are subjected to in large cities can increase both the severity and consequences of an ischaemic stroke. More precisely, researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and doctors from Hospital del Mar, together with researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), and Brown University, in the United States, put the increased risk at 30% for people living in noisier areas. In contrast, living close to green areas brings down this risk by up to 25%. This is the first time that these factors have been analysed in relation to stroke severity. The study has been published in the journal Environmental Research.
The researchers looked at the influence of noise levels, air pollution (particularly suspended particles smaller than 2.5 microns; PM2.5), and exposure to green areas on nearly 3,000 ischaemic stroke patients treated at Hospital del Mar between 2005 and 2014. To do this, they used data from the Cartographic Institute of Catalonia, as well as models to analyse atmospheric pollutant levels, the noise map of Barcelona, and satellite images to define areas with vegetation. Also taken into account was the socioeconomic level of the place the patients lived.
Dr. Rosa María Vivanco, from the IMIM’s Neurovascular Research Group and first author of the study, points out that the study gives us initial insight into how noise levels and exposure to green spaces influences the severity of ischaemic stroke. “We have observed a gradient: the more green spaces, the less serious the stroke. And the more noise, the more serious it is. This suggests that factors other than those traditionally associated with stroke may play an independent role in the condition,” she explains. At the same time, Dr. Xavier Basagaña, one of the authors of the study and a researcher at ISGlobal, a centre supported by “la Caixa,” stresses that “exposure to green spaces can benefit human health through various mechanisms. For example, it can reduce stress, encourage social interaction, and increase levels of physical activity.” However, in this study no link was seen with atmospheric pollution. The researchers warn that one of the limitations of the work was the lack of variability in pollutant concentrations to which the study population is exposed. This made it difficult to draw conclusions, and they point out that more studies are needed in this field.
More noise, greater stroke severity
“Previous studies have demonstrated that living in places with high levels of air pollution or noise, or with fewer green areas, exposes the population to a higher risk of suffering an ischaemic stroke. This work broadens our knowledge in this field, showing that the place where we live affects not only the risk of suffering a stroke, but also its severity if it occurs,” explains Dr Gregory A. Wellenius, from the Epidemiology Department at Brown University and final author of the study. In this sense, the results indicate that patients living in noisier areas presented more severe strokes on arrival at hospital.
You can read the full article here.
