Thaindian News

London, Feb 13 (IANS) Low levels of natural antibodies are likely to trigger a stroke, says a new study from Karolinska Institute (KI), Sweden.
Researchers hope to be able to develop a vaccine that can mobilise the body´s own defence against arteriosclerosis and stroke.

Arteriosclerosis is formed by the accumulation of plaque on the walls of blood vessels, which can rupture and form a blood clot.

The research group, which was led by Johan Frostegård, KI professor had demonstrated that high levels of a certain type of antibody (anti-PC) in the immune defence are linked to a reduced risk of arteriosclerosis, a common cause of thrombosis (blot clots) and myocardial infarction (MI).

MI or acute MI (AMI), commonly known as a heart attack, is the interruption of blood supply to part of the heart, causing some heart cells to die.

In the present study, researchers focused exclusively on stroke — a blood clot in the brain — and compared 227 individuals who had suffered stroke over a 13-year period with 445 sex and age-matched controls.

After controlling for other risk factors (age, sex, smoking habits, cholesterol levels, diabetes, BMI and blood pressure), they were able to show that low levels (below 30 percent of average) of PC antibodies correlated with a higher risk of stroke, which in women meant an almost three-fold increase.

The researchers have now advanced the hypothesis that low levels of natural PC antibodies — which can be a condition of a poor immune system — contribute to the development of arteriosclerosis and its consequences, which include stroke, said a KI release.

“Were now examining the possibility of developing new immunological treatments for arteriosclerosis and stroke, either in the form of a vaccine to stimulate the immune defence or immunisation through the injection of antibodies,” says Frostegård.

These findings were published in Stroke.