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High
Blood Pressure may lead to ‘Silent’ Strokes
Newswise — “Silent” strokes, which are
strokes that don’t result in any noticeable
symptoms but cause brain damage, are common
in people over 60, and especially in those
with high blood pressure, according to a
study published in the July 28, 2009, print
issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of
the American Academy of Neurology.
“These strokes are not truly silent, because
they have been linked to memory and thinking
problems and are a possible cause of a type
of dementia,” said study author Perminder
Sachdev, MD, PhD, of the University of New
South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
“High blood pressure is very treatable, so
this may be a strong target for preventing
vascular disease.”
The study involved 477 people age 60 to 64
who were followed for four years.
At the beginning of the study 7.8 percent of
the participants had the silent lacunar
infarctions, small areas of damage to the
brain seen on MRI that never caused obvious
symptoms.
They occur when blood flow is blocked in one
of the arteries leading to areas deep within
the brain, such as the putamen or the
thalamus.
By the end of the study, an additional 1.6
percent of the participants had developed
“silent” strokes.
People with high blood pressure were 60
percent more likely to have silent strokes
than those with normal blood pressure.
Also, people with another type of small
brain damage called white matter
hyperintensities were nearly five times as
likely to have silent strokes as those
without the condition.
The study was supported by the National
Health and Medical Research Council of
Australia.
The American Academy of Neurology, an
association of more than 21,000 neurologists
and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated
to promoting the highest quality
patient-centered neurologic care through
education and research.
A neurologist is a doctor with specialized
training in diagnosing, treating and
managing disorders of the brain and nervous
system such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease,
epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple
sclerosis.
For more information about the American
Academy of Neurology, visit
http://www.aan.com or
www.thebrainmatters.org
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