The risk of a heart attack significantly increases in the year following a stroke that was caused by a blood clot. A study to be presented at a conference highlights this pattern, underscoring the link between stroke and subsequent heart events. (ASA)
Researchers compared heart attack risk across groups with different cerebrovascular histories. Some participants had experienced a stroke, carotid or vertebral artery rupture, or a stroke with an artery rupture. They were examined against a control group of hospitalized patients who had suffered a transient ischemic attack, transient amnesia, or migraine—essentially, a mix of conditions without a recent stroke. The comparison aimed to isolate the influence of stroke and artery rupture on heart attack risk.
The study drew on data from more than 800,000 individuals hospitalized in New York from 2011 to 2017 and in Florida from 2011 to 2019. The average participant was 63 years old, and about 62% were women. To avoid confounding factors from trauma, individuals with a recent head or neck injury were excluded, since arterial rupture due to injury differs in cause from spontaneous rupture.
When the researchers adjusted for known heart attack risk factors—such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and existing coronary artery disease—the findings showed that carotid or vertebral artery rupture without a stroke did not raise the risk of a heart attack.
However, a stroke—whether or not accompanied by an artery rupture—was associated with roughly double the risk of a heart attack within the following year compared with the control group. This persisted even after accounting for other cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities.
The takeaway for clinicians is clear: preventing stroke should be a priority for reducing the chance of a subsequent heart attack in patients who have a ruptured carotid or vertebral artery. Early, aggressive prevention strategies, including lifestyle modification, antithrombotic therapy when appropriate, and careful monitoring of cardiovascular health, may help mitigate this elevated risk. (Attribution: American Stroke Association)
Earlier medical perspectives sometimes attributed various cognitive symptoms to reversible dementia. Contemporary findings emphasize the broader cardiovascular connections and the importance of integrated care following cerebrovascular events.