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For the first time, researchers have linked
high levels of blood fats called triglycerides to an increased
risk of stroke.
When the researchers accounted for other
risk factors for stroke, people with more than 200 mg of triglycerides
per dl of blood were nearly 30%
more likely to have an ischemic stroke or TIA than
people with lower levels of the blood fats.
Ischemic strokes, which occur when a
clot or narrowed artery cuts off the brain's blood supply,
account for about 80% of all strokes. The other 20% are due
to broken blood vessels in the brain.
High
triglycerides and the low levels of HDL, or "good,"
cholesterol that usually coexist are important risk
factors for the main type of stroke, called ischemic stroke,
among patients with heart disease.
Circulation
December 11, 2001;104:2892-2897
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