People with shingles, caused by the varicella virus, have an approximately 80% higher risk of stroke than those who are unaffected, according to a recent study.
More than 90% of the world’s population carries the virus. chicken pox. It lies dormant in the body, but, in some patients, it can reactivate and provoke an area. This painful rash is not without consequences. According to research published in October in The Journal of Infectious Diseasesled by Andrew Bubak, assistant professor of neurology research at the Anschutz Medical Campus of the University of Colorado (USA), shingles increases the risk ofstroke (AVC).
A triple risk before age 40
According to his study, people affected by shingles have regarding 80% higher risk stroke than those without the disease. This risk remains high up to one year following recoveryhe wrote on December 20 in the specialized journal The Conversation.
The earlier a person has shingles, the greater the risk of having a stroke. The latter is tripled for subjects under 40 years of age. As well, the area where the rash takes place also plays a role. The risk of stroke is “almost doubled” for people who have red patches on the skin of the face.
Blame the exosomes
How to explain this link? To get an answer, you have to understand what happens when the body is infected with the varicella virus. These infections cause chronic inflammation that spreads beyond the original site of infection. It can last a few weeks or even several months even if the virus is no longer detectable and is dormant, explains Andrew Bubak in the article.
During the study, he and his team showed that reactivation of the virus triggers formation of fluid sacs in the cells called exosomes. These latter carry proteins which play a role in blood clotting and inflammation. It is the increase of these proteins in the body that can lead to an increased risk of stroke. Why ? Because the exposure of these exosomes to blood platelets leads, by a complex mechanism, blood clot formationresponsible forAVCthey observed during their experiment.
“Although our study provides evidence of one potential way in which the area may lead to an increased risk of stroke during and shortly following infection, further research into how long this risk persists is needed”he concluded.
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