'Silent stroke' common in elderly: Study

Silent stroke is like a silent killer, as most old people do not even get to know that they are having a stroke, Australian researchers claim.

In a news release issued from the American Academy of Neurology, study author Dr. Perminder Sachdev, a neuropsychiatry professor at the University of New South Wales in Sidney, said, "These strokes are not truly silent, because they have been linked to memory and thinking problems and are a possible cause of a type of dementia."

The study involved 477 people within age group of 60 to 64. The study participants were observed for over four years.

Researchers noted that about 7.8 percent of the group members underwent silent strokes and experienced no symptoms which are normally associated with a silent stroke.

Unnoticeable symptoms of silent strokes are called silent lacunar infarctions. These symptoms are characterized by blockage of blood flow in one of those arteries that take blood to profound regions within the brain.

However, scientists also noted that 1.6 percent of the group members suffered from silent strokes at the end of the study duration.

According to the scientists, old people who had high blood pressure had almost 60 percent higher risk of silent stroke than those who had normal blood pressure.

Similarly, study participants who were suffering from white matter hyperintensities, a condition in which there is small brain damage, were found to exhibit five times higher risk of silent stroke than those who had healthy brain.

The findings of the study were published in the journal Neurology, in the July 28 issue.

Implications of the study
According to the American Academy of Neurology, silent strokes are one the most common health problems found in the elderly.

Researchers say those who experience silent stroke are at a greater risk of experiencing subsequent strokes, resulting in an elevated loss of mental skills.

Those who suffer from risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, smoking and older age are highly prone to getting a silent stroke.

Symptoms of silent stroke
Scientists say in case an individual experiences following symptoms, help from emergency medical services should immediately be taken.

• Sudden weakness or numbness in arms, legs or face, particularly on one side of the body.
• Sudden onset of blurred vision in one or both eyes.
• Trouble in walking, dizziness or loss of balance or coordination
• Unexpected confusion or difficulty in speaking
• Abrupt and rigorous headache with an unidentified cause.