Brain imaging scans may predict heart problems, according to new PET scan research.
Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital discovered that people showing greater levels of activity in the stress center of their brains had more inflammation in their arteries. Researchers said the findings is important because previous studies have linked greater arterial inflammation to higher risk of suffering future heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular disease-related death.
Lead researcher Ahmed Tawakol and his team said that the latest study is the first to show a link between biochemical activity in the brain and inflammation in the arteries.
"Our study illuminates, for the first time, a relationship between activation of neural tissues - those associated with fear and stress - and subsequent heart disease events," said Tawakol, according to a statement. "There is a need to develop greater knowledge in terms of the mechanism that translates stress into cardiovascular disease risk, given the prevalence and potency of stress as a risk factor."
The latest study involved 293 patients with an average age of 55 who did not have cancer or cardiovascular disease. All participants underwent PET/CT scans. Researchers noted that participants were injected with a radioactive tracer that contained glucose molecules before the scan. Researchers explained that the tissues that were more active would metabolize more of the glucose and glow more brightly on the scan. Researchers noted that radiologists examining the scans had no knowledge of the patients' medical history.
After comparing Framingham Risk Scores with brain activity, researchers found that there was a 14 times greater risk of cardiovascular events for every unit increase in measured brain stress activity. A five-year follow-up revealed that 35 percent of the participants in the high stress center activity group suffered a cardiovascular event compared to just 5 percent of participants in the low stress center activity group.
"Over the past several years, it's become clear that stress is not only a result of adversity but may itself also be an important cause of disease. The risks of heart disease linked to stress is on par with that for smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, yet relatively little is done to address this risk compared to other risk factors," Tawakol concluded. "We are hopeful studies like this bring us closer to understanding how stress may lead to heart disease."
The findings will be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 65th Annual Scientific Session.
