This may seem ridiculous but a new study has revealed that drinking coffee or vigorous exercising or even having sex for that matter can increase the risk of a stroke in individuals with aneurysm in the brain, says a study.
Aneurysm is nothing but a balloon shaped swelling in the brain artery which normally is a resultant of a weak spot in artery or even head injuries. The study says that any activity that can briefly increase the blood pressure can rupture the aneurysm and this can in turn lead to stroke. The study which was published in the Journal Stroke states that drinking coffee or brief activities that increase the blood pressure can almost double the risk of a stroke.
"We investigated those factors that were known to cause a short-lasting sudden increase in blood pressure," says the lead author of the study, Monique Vlak, MD, a neurologist at the University Medical Center, in Utrecht, the Netherlands. "Other researchers have already described that sexual activity or physical exercises are often reported by patients to precede rupture, but these potential risk factors were never quantified."
The researchers carried an analysis with 250 patients who had survived the aneurysm rupture on the basis of their exposure to any of the potential factors in the past year. The frequency of the rupture and their exposure to the any of the factors right before the rupture were asked. They found that exercise and coffee were one of the most commonly experienced triggers in the participants. Apart from these, other factors such as nose blowing, having sex, constipation, drinking carbonated drinks, anger and shock were also noted. It was estimated that coffee was connected to 11 percent of the ruptures in the participants and exercise was linked to 8 percent. The rest of the factors fell under the 5 percent or less category.
But the scientists are not sounding a warning bell against coffee or other risk factors mentioned as the number involved is small and further research would help in gaining different perspectives. Aneurysms are often too small to experience any symptoms. It is mostly common after the age of 40 and high blood pressure, smoking and drugs are said to be responsible for aneurysm.
