United States: Experts show that hospital admissions from artery tear-related strokes have grown to affect five times more Americans than before.
Any small tear affecting the inner artery wall of neck structures that bring blood to the brain is called cervical artery dissection.
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The blood creates clots in the injured tissue. An artery clot that breaks free will temporarily travel to the brain, leading to a stroke.
The latest findings from the journal Neurology show that strokes caused by arterial tears resulted in a hospitalization increase of almost five times over the last fifteen years.
According to the senior researcher Dr. Shadi Yaghi, a vascular neurologist at Brown University in Providence, R.I., “Cervical artery dissection is an important cause of stroke, especially in people under 50, so it is crucial to detect it right away,” US News reported.
“Strokes that are not fatal can lead to long-term disability, poor mental health, and reduced quality of life,” as he noted.
“Our research found a dramatic increase in the number of hospitalizations for cervical artery dissection, with rates rising steadily year over year,” he maintained.
A cervical artery tear occurs mainly following neck strain, which emerges from car crashes and other accidents, according to research findings.
A cervical artery tear sometimes develops when people lift heavy weights, even though this activity seems harmless to most individuals.
How was the analysis done?
The analysis of US health records from 2005 to 2019 identified more than 125,000 case patients who required hospital admission for cervical artery dissection.
The patient population involved adults aged 51 years on average, and among them, brain strokes developed in 54% of instances, according to study results.
About 10% per year increases were detected in the occurrence of artery tears between 2005, when rates reached 11 per million population, and 2019, when they rose to 46 per million population, according to results.
Stroke risk from neck artery tears reported to be growing https://t.co/PoJ3F47KQd
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The study indicated that men and women faced equal risks of experiencing artery tears, yet there were distinctions between different races, as US News reported.
The yearly increase rate of cervical artery dissections among Hispanic individuals stood at 16%, whereas Black participants saw 13% growth, Asian participants observed 12% growth, and the rate for white participants reached 8%.
According to researchers, the annual tear rate has reached 12% among those aged 65 and older, while the younger age group shows an 8% increase.
“Possible reasons for this nearly five-fold increase over 15 years include greater awareness of cervical artery dissection by health care professionals, better access to imaging to help identify it, and an overall increase in this condition for which a cause has yet to be determined,” Yaghi noted.