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Hispanics with
Clogged Arteries at greatest risk of Stroke,
Heart Attack
Newswise — Hispanics
who have even a small amount of plaque
build-up in the neck artery that supplies
blood to the brain are up to four times more
likely to suffer or die from a stroke or
heart attack than Hispanics who do not have
plaque, according to a study published in
the March 19, 2008, online issue of
Neurology®, the medical journal of the
American Academy of Neurology.
For the study,
researchers used ultrasound to determine the
thickness of the plaque in the carotid
artery of 2,189 men and women who were part
of the multi-ethnic Northern Manhattan
Study.
Carotid plaque was found in 58
percent of the group. The maximum carotid
plaque thickness was defined as those who
had more than 1.9 mm of plaque thickness,
which represented one quarter of the group.
After an average
follow-up of seven years, 121 people
suffered or died from ischemic stroke, 118
suffered or died from heart attack and 166
died of other vascular causes.
The study found
Hispanics with the thickest amounts of
plaque had a three-to-four-fold increased
risk of vascular events, such as stroke or
heart attack, compared to Hispanics who did
not have plaques.
“These results are
important for developing stroke and vascular
prevention programs for all, but also for
certain ethnic groups such as Hispanics, who
represent the fastest growing minority
population in the U.S.,” said study author
Tatjana Rundek, MD, PhD, with the Miller
School of Medicine at the University of
Miami in Florida.
“More research is needed
though to determine why Hispanics with even
small amounts of carotid plaque are
particularly susceptible to vascular
events.”
Rundek says their
findings also show plaque thickness measured
by ultrasound is a simple tool that can help
doctors determine the risk of vascular
events and guide stroke prevention
therapies, regardless of ethnicity.
“It is a
non-invasive marker that can help doctors
identify the beginning stages of
atherosclerosis, or hardening of the
arteries, that is also associated with
increased risk of stroke.”
The study was supported
by the Gilbert Baum Memorial Grant, the
Goddess Fund for Stroke Research in Women,
and grants from the National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
The American Academy of
Neurology, an association of more than
21,000 neurologists and neuroscience
professionals, is dedicated to improving
patient 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.
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