Exposure to a number of pathogens over time may be linked to stroke risk

Collective exposure to five ordinary infection-causing pathogens might be linked to an elevated risk of stroke, says a report.

Stroke is among the top three causes of death and the top cause of grave disability in the US. Identified risk factors include heart disease, smoking, high cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure. Yet, many strokes happen in patients that are not exposed to any of these factors. Therefore, there is interest in determining other variable risk factors, according to the authors of the report.

There is some evidence saying past infections with pathogens like herpes viruses bring about inflammation, plays a role in arterial disease, and therefore elevates stroke risk.

Columbia University Medical Centre’s Mitchell S. V. Elkind, M.D., M.S., and colleagues assessed 1,625 adults with an average age of 68.4. These individuals were residing in northern Manhattan’s multi-ethnic urban community. Blood was extracted from all subjects – none of whom had ever suffered a stroke – and was checked for antibodies showing past exposure to five pathogens: Helicobacter pylori, Chlamydia pneumoniae, the two herpes simplex viruses, and cytomegalovirus.

All participants were annually checked up over a median of 7.6 years. Within the time period, 67 suffered strokes. Each infection was certainly, though not considerably, linked with stroke risk following adjustments for other risk factors.

According to them, the study could possess potential implications on the clinical field. For instance, eradication and treatment of these chronic pathogens may effectively alleviate future stroke risk.

Nevertheless, more research is necessary to further investigate infectious burden as a possible variable risk factor for stroke.