Researchers Identify Potential Cause of Lacunar Strokes Affecting 35000 Britons Annually

Researchers have identified a potential cause for lacunar strokes, a type that affects about 35000 people in the UK each year. The study suggests these strokes stem from the widening of arteries deep within the brain rather than the narrowing or blockages seen in other stroke types.

Lacunar strokes result from damage to tiny blood vessels deep in the brain. They can lead to problems with thinking, memory, movement and raise the risk of dementia. Unlike ischaemic strokes caused by blocked vessels, this form accounts for about one fifth of all strokes in the UK according to the British Heart Foundation.

The research involved 229 individuals who had experienced either lacunar or mild non-lacunar strokes. It tracked changes in their brains and cognitive function over a period of one year. Analysis showed no connection between lacunar strokes and arterial narrowing.

Instead patients with widened arteries were four times more likely to suffer a lacunar stroke. The widened arteries were also linked to a higher risk of silent strokes that occur without obvious symptoms. More than one in four patients had silent strokes during the study period despite receiving treatment aimed at preventing further strokes.

The findings may explain why usual treatments such as anti-platelet drugs that prevent blood clots do not work for lacunar strokes. A professor of applied neuroimaging at the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Disease said the study provides strong evidence that lacunar stroke is not caused by fatty blockage of larger arteries but by disease of the small vessels within the brain itself.