Health Center - Heart Health
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Blocked Heart Arteries May Be Key Risk Factor for Stroke
The more calcium inside vessels, the higher the odds for the brain attacks, study found
THURSDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Even though strokes typically involve a stoppage of blood flow to the brain, people with specific types of blockages in heart arteries may be especially prone to the attacks, a new study finds.
People with arterial clogs caused by what's known as coronary artery calcification -- calcium deposits in the artery -- are at higher risk for stroke, even if they're otherwise considered to have a low risk, the German researchers found.
The findings are published Feb. 28 in the journal Stroke.
"Stroke risk is tightly aligned with coronary atherosclerosis [hardening of the arteries], showing the closely related nature of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular [brain blood flow] disease," lead investigator Dr. Dirk Hermann, a professor of vascular neurology and dementia at the University Hospital Essen, said in a journal news release.
