Study Uncovers True Cause of Lacunar Strokes
Researchers have identified the underlying cause of lacunar strokes, a type of stroke that affects approximately 35,000 people annually in the UK. The findings, published in a new study, challenge previous assumptions and may explain why certain medications are ineffective in treating this condition.
Lacunar strokes account for about a quarter of all strokes in the UK. Until now, they were believed to be caused by the blockage of small arteries in the brain due to fatty deposits. However, the study suggests that these strokes actually result from the enlargement and widening of arteries in the brain, rather than blockages.
This discovery helps clarify why aspirin and other blood thinners, commonly used to prevent ischaemic strokes, are not as effective in preventing lacunar strokes. The research, conducted by academics at the University of Edinburgh and the UK Dementia Research Institute, analyzed 229 patients who had experienced either a lacunar or mild non-lacunar stroke.
Implications for Treatment
Maeva May, director of policy for the Stroke Association, emphasized the importance of the findings. "This research illustrates the value of research and the potential it has to change the lives of stroke patients," she said. "There is still so much we don't know about stroke despite it being the leading cause of complex adult disability and the fourth leading cause of death in the UK."
May added that answering these questions and developing effective treatments is crucial for the 240 people who survive stroke every day in the UK. She also highlighted the chronic underfunding of stroke research, with less than 1% of total UK research funding spent on the condition. "This study – and more of its kind – need to be a national priority across the NHS, government and the wider research community," she stated.
Key Findings
The study specifically found that narrowing of large arteries was more commonly associated with other types of stroke. In contrast, widening of arteries showed a strong link to lacunar disease. Patients with widened arteries were more than four times as likely to have a lacunar stroke.
Professor Joanna Wardlaw, a professor of applied neuroimaging at the University of Edinburgh and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute, said: "This 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. Recognizing this distinction is crucial, because it explains why conventional treatments like anti-platelet drugs are not as effective for this type of stroke and highlights the urgent need to develop new therapies that target the underlying microvascular damage."
