People who experience an arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) or transient ischemic stroke (TIA) are at an increased risk of suffering a second stroke or other major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), making it critically important to identify risk factors and treatments to prevent these subsequent occurrences. A new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (Bristol BRC) has identified new genetic and molecular risk factors that may reveal new pathways for treating patients after they experience their first stroke. Published in Stroke , a journal of the American Heart Association, the study identified CCL27 and TNFRSF14, two proteins that are associated with subsequent MACE, but not initial strokes.
These proteins are known to activate inflammation, which plays a key role in the development of strokes and many chronic conditions and diseases. The findings suggest that inflammation is a contributing factor to MACE outcomes among people after they have their first stroke. "While previous studies have found associations between inflammation and incident AIS/MACE, our study found that these causal proteins may also have a role in subsequent MACE, which could lead to potential novel drug targets," said study co-lead author Nimish Adhikari, a PhD student in biostatistics at BUSPH.
The study was also co-led by Andrew Elmore, Senior Research Associate in Health Data Sci.