SNF Brain Stroke Samachar-460

[SN Foundation]

High levels of calcium within the coronary arteries raise stroke risk

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Courtesy: TeleManagement

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A study shows that high levels of calcium within the coronary arteries raise stroke risk.
The presence of high levels of calcium in the coronary arteries is a sign of atherosclerosis, the fatty deposits that raise the risk of heart attack. Doctors at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, reveal that high calcium in the coronary arteries is indicative of atherosclerosis elsewhere in the body, such as in the arteries serving the brain.

They studied over 2,000 volunteers, of whom 50 had had a stroke, using electron-beam computed tomography, a form of scanning that reveals the calcium levels in the arteries. They found that compared to those with the lowest levels, those with intermediate to high calcium were twice as likely to have had a stroke. In those with the highest levels, the stroke risk was three times.

But this study only relates to people who have already had a stroke. The next step is to look at calcium levels in healthy people, to see if this can be used to predict who is at risk and, hopefully, take steps to help them prevent a stroke from occurring.