A recent study revealed that nearly half of all strokes and heart attacks occur in people who have no known risk factors for heart disease, such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes, raising questions about the underlying causes.
The study was conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Brigham and Women's Health, USA. The findings were presented at a scientific session of the European Society of Cardiology Congress and simultaneously published in the European Heart Journal on August 29th. The British newspaper, the Daily Mail, reported on the study.
The research team relied on data from the Women's Health Study, which followed more than 12,000 women for three decades. All participants were initially healthy and without any known risk factors for heart disease.
Throughout the study, the researchers monitored levels of a protein known as hsCRP, an indicator of inflammation in the body.
Surprisingly, women with elevated HSCRB levels faced significantly higher risks than others; their risk of coronary artery disease increased by 77%, stroke by 39%, and major cardiovascular disease by 52%.
These findings suggest that inflammation, even in the absence of known risk factors, may play a significant role in the development of cardiovascular disease. Researchers say this group of patients often goes undetected during routine screenings, making them vulnerable to serious complications later on.
Statins (Cholesterol Medications)
A Lifesaving Drug
A separate clinical trial showed that women with this elevated index, despite the absence of traditional risk factors, could reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by nearly 38% when using statins, drugs that lower LDL cholesterol levels.
Researchers believe the benefit is most pronounced when treatment begins in middle age, specifically in the early forties.
Statins are not new to the medical world; Approved for use since the 1980s, statins have been shown in numerous studies to save lives and reduce deaths associated with heart attacks and strokes. Current research is opening the door to considering expanding their use.
"While people with inflammation should take preventative steps to improve their lifestyle, such as eating a healthy diet and being physically active, statins may also help reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes," said Paul Ridker, MD, a preventative cardiologist at the Massachusetts Heart and Vascular Institute in the United States.
"Our data suggests that these women are at high risk throughout their lives, and therefore should be identified early, in their forties, when they can begin preventative care, rather than waiting until their seventies, when it is often too late to make a real difference," he added.
Experts explained that chronic inflammation—often linked to obesity—may be a major factor behind these risks. It is also associated with other common diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and some forms of dementia.