Hopelessness may increase your risk of stroke, according to new information from the University of Minnesota. Researchers found that higher levels of hopelessness are linked with accelerated development of early atherosclerosis in middle-aged women.

Atherosclerosis causes plaque to build up on the insides of arteries, reducing the flow of oxygen-rich blood to organs and other parts of the body. Arteries in the neck can thicken, a condition called carotid artery intimal-medial thickening (IMT). Atherosclerosis increases risk of heart attack and can block blood flow to the brain and lead to stroke.

Science has explored the connection between hopelessness and IMT in men and women with cardiovascular disease, but little was known about the link in healthy women. “This is the first study to suggest that hopelessness may be related to subclinical cardiovascular disease in women without clinical symptoms of heart disease,” said Susan A. Everson-Rose, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota and co-author of the study.

Data for the study was collected from two sites in Chicago and Pittsburgh, using the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Five hundred and fifty-nine women (average age 50) living in the city participated in the study. Participants appeared to be in good health, showing no signs of cardiovascular disease.

SWAN used questionnaires to measure the association between IMT and hopelessness frequency using an eight-point scale, asking participants about personal goals and future life expectations. Scores of five and above were considered “high.” Ultrasounds were then used to measure the thickness of arteries in the neck.

Participants with the highest hopelessness scores showed an average of .06 mm greater thickening than their hopeful counterparts (.02 mm is equal to roughly one year’s thickening). Researchers discovered that hopelessness triggered a hormonal release in response to mood change that can amplify the effects of atherosclerosis and the thickening of neck arteries.

Researchers plan to continue exploring the unique relationship between hopelessness and cardiovascular disease in future studies. “These findings suggest that women who experience feelings of hopelessness may have greater risk for future heart disease and stroke,” Everson-Rose said. "We look forward to examining the longitudinal relations between hopelessness and heart disease risk in women."

Researchers have identified a genetic risk factor associated with ischemic stroke, a type of neurological disorder caused by the death of brain tissue due to inadequate blood and oxygen supply. Ischemic strokes often occur after a blood clot prevents blood from reaching the brain.

A study published in the April 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reports that two genetic variants on chromosome 12 are strongly linked to incidence of stroke. These variants are in close proximity to two genes that are compromised during stroke. One, NINJ2, is linked to brain injury repair and the other, WNK1, is tied to blood pressure and hypertension.

The study showed that people with the genetic variation are 30 percent more likely to suffer from stroke than populations who do not exhibit the variation. These genetic symbols were found in roughly 20 percent of the studied Caucasian population and in about 10 percent of the studied African-American population.

The research team compared the incidence of these genetic factors in 1,544 people who had experienced stroke and 18,058 who had not. Populations studied were from the Netherlands and North America.

The report notes that these genetic codes are not likely the cause of stroke, but rather are somehow linked with the actual cause.

Visit the Healia Stroke Community and Support Group for more information and to share experiences with stroke.

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A new study provides evidence that your risk of suffering a stroke is linked to the number of fast food restaurants in the neighborhood where you live. Even after controlling for socioeconomic and demographic factors, researchers at the University of Michigan showed that stroke risk increases with each additional fast food restaurant located in a neighborhood.

Presented this week at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference, the study found that, in one Texas county, residents who lived in neighborhoods with the highest concentration of fast food restaurants had a 13 percent higher risk of suffering an ischemic stroke than residents living in neighborhoods with the lowest number of such restaurants. Ischemic strokes are caused by a blockage in an artery that supplies the brain and are responsible for more than 85 percent of all strokes.

The data also show that a person’s relative risk of stroke increased by about 1 percent for each fast food restaurant located in their neighborhood.

The researchers examined data from the ongoing Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi (BASIC) project, which tracks strokes occurring in Nueces County, Texas. They used the 64 U.S. Census Bureau tracts in Nueces County as proxies for neighborhoods. Nueces County has 262 fast-food restaurants, defined by the researchers as having at least two of four characteristics: rapid food service, takeout business, limited or no wait staff and payment required before receiving food.

Despite the clear association, the researchers stress that their findings do no prove that fast-food restaurants raise the risk of stroke. While people may assume that being surrounded by fast food restaurants may makes you more likely to eat the food at these restaurants whose menus offer items loaded with cholesterol and saturated fat, it is possible that fast food restaurants are just a sign of an unhealthy neighborhood.

It is also possible that neighborhoods with lots of fast food restaurants tend to lack more healthy options, or that something completely different in these neighborhoods is associated with poor health. In any case, the study suggests that additional spending on stroke prevention programs should target neighborhoods with a lot of fast food restaurants.

For more information about how to eat healthy, consult the Healia Health Guide to Weight Management. To learn more about strokes and stroke risk, join the Healia Health Community for stroke or visit the American Stroke Association Web site.

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Each year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists the most common causes of death in the United States. The CDC collects data from death records around the country and publishes the results in the National Vital Statistics Report. The latest data available are from 2006. One of the key results to come from this data was that the national life expectancy in 2006 increased to the highest it’s ever been: 78.1 years. In addition, 11 of the top 15 causes of death for the previous year decreased in frequency. Death rates per 100,000 persons are listed in parentheses.

The top 15 causes of death in the U.S. for 2006 are:

1. Heart disease (210.2)
2. Cancer (malignant neoplasms; 187.1)
3. Stroke (cerebrovascular disease; 45.8)
4. Lung diseases (chronic lower respiratory disease; 41.6)
5. Accidents (39.3)
6. Alzheimer’s disease (24.4)
7. Diabetes (24.2)
8. Influenza and pneumonia (18.8)
9. Kidney disease (nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis; 15.0)
10. Blood poisoning (septicemia, 11.4)
11. Suicide (10.7)
12. Liver disease (9.1)
13. High blood pressure (hypertension and hypertensive renal disease; 8.0)
14. Parkinson’s disease (6.6)
15. Assault (6.0)

Use the Healia Health Search Engine to find out more information about the above diseases. Also see our Healia Health Guide on Heart Disease and the Healia Health Guide on Alzheimer's Disease.

 

_{Source: CDC, National VitalStatistics Reports Vol. 56, No. 16. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_16.pdf
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A new study has found that statin drugs, normally prescribed for people with high cholesterol, may also reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes among those with low cholesterol levels and no other major risk factors for heart disease.

The study participants all had normal levels of LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) but also had elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of inflammation that may prove to be a good predictor of heart disease. About 4% of the adult population fits these criteria and may potentially benefit from use of statins. Researchers are unclear as to why statin drugs reduce disease risk in this population.

The study tracked more than 17,000 people in 26 countries and showed that people taking the statin drug Crestor (rosuvastatin) were 54% less likely to experience a heart attack, 48% less likely to have a stroke, and 20% less likely to die from any cause. The effects were seen across all subgroups, regardless of gender, race, weight, or other factors.

Statins are the world’s top selling class of drugs and include Crestor, Lipitor, Zocor, and generic versions. The study was paid for by AstraZeneca, the makers of Crestor.

This study provides some encouraging insight about the potential benefits of statins in people with low cholesterol. However, the costs of taking statin drugs, both in expense and potential side-effects, might outweigh any reductions in heart attack and stroke risk. To find out more, talk to your health care provider or ask the experts on Healia Health Communities. For more about heart disease, cholesterol, and CRP, see the Healia Health Guide on Heart Disease.

 

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