This new method of assessing stroke risk is significant because more than 85 percent of all strokes come without any warning signs. The researchers studied the carotid arteries, which supply blood to the brain. These arteries are prone to collect a plaque of fat, calcium deposits and blood clotting materials on the inner lining. Stroke occurs when a piece of the plaque breaks off and lodges in a smaller blood vessel, shutting off the supply of blood to that part of the brain.
Stroke also can occur if the carotid itself is completely blocked.
They found that people whose lipoproteins were rich in both triglycerides and cholesterol had plaques that are most likely to rupture. About 500,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year. About 150,000 of these strokes are fatal and a third are permanently disabling, making stroke the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the United States. Gronholdt said this research could give doctors a new way to identify who is at risk of stroke. If a simple blood test revealed lipoproteins rich in triglycerides, the doctor would know to order an ultrasound analysis of the carotid arteries to see if the patient has dangerous plaques building up.