Stroke is a life-threatening disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people every year. Furthermore, those who do not succumb to the disease are frequently left disabled.

One disorder that affects millions of people in the United States may increase the risk of having an ischemic stroke.

There are two types of strokes. When a blood artery rupture, creating an internal bleed, a haemorrhagic stroke develops. An ischemic stroke, on the other hand, happens when a blood clot becomes trapped in an artery and prevents blood flow.

Fortunately, 90 percent of strokes can be avoided by changing one’s lifestyle.

One study’s findings, on the other hand, suggest that those with Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are more likely to have a stroke.

Adults with OCD are more than three times more likely to suffer an ischemic stroke later in life, according to a study published in the American Stroke Association’s journal Stroke in 2021.

According to the findings, adults in this age range should place a greater emphasis on developing healthy living practices.

Patients with OCD should also be properly monitored for an elevated risk of ischemic stroke.

OCD is a widespread mental health problem in which a person has obsessive thoughts and acts excessively.

According to UK’s health body: “OCD can affect men, women and children. Some people start having symptoms early, often around puberty, but it usually starts during early adulthood.”

The authors of the study said that OCD’s obsessive behaviors, such as handwashing, can greatly disrupt a person’s everyday activities.

A Taiwan National Health Insurance Database was used to gather data for the study.

The researchers looked at the risk of stroke in 28,064 adults with OCD and 28,064 otherwise healthy people.

They next compared the risk of stroke in both groups over an 11-year period.

Individuals with OCD were more than three times as likely as adults without OCD to suffer a stroke caused by a blood clot, according to the findings.

Furthermore, despite accounting for other established risk factors for stroke, such as obesity, heart disease, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes, OCD remained an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke.

“The results of our study should encourage people with OCD to maintain a healthy lifestyle, such as quitting or not smoking, getting regular physical activity and managing a healthy weight to avoid stroke-related risk factors,” said the authors of the study.

“For decades, studies have found a relationship between stroke first and OCD later.

“Our findings remind clinicians to closely monitor blood pressure and lipid profiles, which are known to be treated to stroke in patients with OCD.

“More research is needed to understand how the mental processes connected to OCD may increase the risk of ischaemic stroke.”

Due to the observational nature of the study, the researchers were unable to demonstrate a possible link.

Another limitation was that only strokes among individuals who sought medical attention were included, which means that some occurrences may have gone unnoticed.

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