Coffee, exercise and nose-blowing raise risk of stroke

[ukhudshanskiy]

Researchers at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, the Netherlands, asked 250 patients who had suffered one of the dangerous brain attacks what activities they had been engaged in shortly beforehand, and how often they carry them out.

In the paper, published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, they identified eight factors that seemed to make ruptures more likely, with coffee consumption increasing the risk by 10.6 per cent, followed by vigorous physical exercise (7.9 per cent), nose blowing (5.4 per cent) and sexual intercourse (4.3 per cent).

Straining to defecate (3.6 per cent), cola consumption (3.5 per cent), being startled (2.7 per cent) and being angry (1.3 per cent) also appeared to increase the risk.

Monique H.M. Vlak, lead author of the study, said: “All of the triggers induce a sudden and short increase in blood pressure, which seems a possible common cause for aneurysmal rupture.”