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Pregnant mothers, beware! Pre-eclampsia may increase stroke risk by 6 times

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Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a disorder of pregnancy characterized by the onset of high blood pressure and often a significant amount of protein in the urine

Pregnant women, who suffer from chronic hypertension, bleeding disorders or urinary tract infections are at risk of stroke during or after childbirth.

One in ten pregnant women, who suffer preeclampsia — characterised by high blood pressure, swollen feet, ankles and face and severe headaches — may be six times more at risk of suffering a stroke during or after childbirth, researchers said.

Preeclampsia — a high-blood pressure disorder unique to pregnancy — develops in about 3 to 8 per cent of all pregnant women.

The study showed that certain conditions like chronic hypertension, bleeding disorders or urinary tract infections may increase the risk of stroke in women with preeclampsia.

Pregnancy-associated stroke occurs up to 6 times more often in women with preeclampsia compared with pregnant women overall.

“Women with preeclampsia who had chronic hypertension, bleeding or clotting disorders, or infections — particularly urinary tract infections — appeared to be at significantly increased risk of stroke,” said lead author Eliza C Miller, postdoctoral student at Columbia University in the US.

Infections cause inflammation, which is known to play an important role in triggering stroke, especially in young people.

Preeclampsia itself is an inflammatory disorder. Infections may be what pushed some of these women over the edge, the researchers explained.

For the study, published in the journal Stroke, the team analysed the health records of 197 women who had a preeclampsia-related stroke and 591 women with preeclampsia who did not have a stroke.

The incidence of stroke in women with preeclampsia was over 200 per 100,000 deliveries, and more than one in 10 women in the study who had a preeclampsia-related stroke died in the hospital.

“It’s important to note that the risk of stroke in women with preeclampsia doesn’t end with delivery, as is commonly thought. Nearly two-thirds of preeclampsia-related strokes occur after birth, when the mother has gone home,” Miller said.

“Women with preeclampsia should take any neurological symptoms, such as severe headache, very seriously, especially during the postpartum period,” she suggested.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/health-pregnant-mothersbeware-preeclampsia-may-increase-stroke-risk-by-6-times-4675003/

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Working over 8 hrs a day raises stroke risk by 33%

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It’s now official -working over 8 hours a day increases the risk of stroke by 33%.

Scientists have for the first time quantified the number of hours of work that could cause serious harm. Working 55 hours or more per week is linked to a 33% greater risk of stroke and a more modest (13%) increased risk of developing coronary heart disease compared with working a standard 35 to 40 hour week. The largest study till date on the issue, involving over 6,00,000 individuals will be published in The Lancet on Thursday .

It clearly shows that the longer people worked, the higher their chances of a stroke. In the study , data from 25 studies involving 6,03,838 men and women from Europe, USA and Australia were looked into, with each of them studied for nearly nine years.

The study was carried out by Mika Kivimaki, professor of epidemiology at University College London.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Working-over-8-hrs-a-day-raises-stroke-risk-by-33/articleshow/48550484.cms

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