Intense exercise can have hostile effects on individuals with moderate or higher levels of blockage of their arteries, a study has found.

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur found that a quick heart rate during exercise can raise the danger of stroke in individuals with severely blocked carotid arteries. Then again, exercise helped in maintaining normal blood flow in healthy and mild cases.

“Intense exercise shows hostile effects on patients with moderate or higher stenosis levels,” Somnath Roy, the study’s lead writer, said in a media release. “It substantially increases the shear stress on the stenosis zone, which can cause the stenosis to rupture. This ruptured plaque may then flow to the brain and its blood supply, causing ischemic stroke.”

The blockage is attributable to the buildup of plaque on the inner partitions of the carotid arteries, that are chargeable for supplying blood flow to facial tissues and the brain.

The narrowing of the artery, called stenosis, is a dangerous condition because it restricts blood flow to the brain. Detecting early stages of plaque accumulation that cause stenosis will be difficult. When blood flow to the brain is proscribed, the brain lacks sufficient oxygen, increasing the danger of a stroke within the patient.

For people without stenosis, an elevated heart rate during exercise helps stabilize the force of blood flow against the vessel partitions, reducing the danger of artery narrowing. Nevertheless, it might not have the identical effects on individuals with stenosis.

Researchers suggest individuals who engage in intense workouts should commonly check their arterial health as various aspects like age, lifestyle and genetics can contribute to stenosis and stroke risk. Those with moderate to severe stenosis or a history of strokes should follow a specifically tailored exercise plan, in accordance with Study Finds.

Cardiac arrest

Published by Medicaldaily.com