stroke risk tagged posts

Adults with gum disease may be more likely to have signs of damage to the brain’s white matter, called white matter hyperintensities, than people without gum disease, according to a study published in Neurology Open Access.

White matter refers to nerve fibers that help different parts of the brain communicate. Damage to this tissue can affect memory, thinking, balance and coordination and has been linked to higher stroke risk.

White matter hyperintensities are bright spots that appear on brain scans that are thought to reflect damaged white matter tissue. While the study found an association, it does not prove that gum disease causes white matter damage.

“This study shows a link between gum disease and white matter hyperintensities, suggesting...

Study further examines connection between inflammation and heart disease through impact of inflammatory food consumption. Diets high in red and processed meat, refined grains and sugary beverages, which have been associated with increased inflammation in the body, can increase subsequent risk of heart disease and stroke compared to diets filled with anti-inflammatory foods according to a study published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. A separate JACC study assessed the positive effects eating walnuts, an anti-inflammatory food, had on decreasing inflammation and heart disease risk.

Chronic inflammation has been shown to play an important role in the developme...

Doctors can predict patients’ risk for ischemic stroke based on the severity of their metabolic syndrome, a conglomeration of conditions that includes high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels and excess body fat around the abdomen and waist, a new study finds.

The study found that stroke risk increased consistently with metabolic syndrome severity even in patients without diabetes. Doctors can use this information — and a scoring tool developed by a UVA Children’s pediatrician and his collaborator at the University of Florida — to identify patients at risk and help them reduce that risk.

“We had previously shown that the severity of metabolic syndrome was linked to future coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes,” said UVA’s Mark DeBoer, MD...