The Connection Between Amyloid Angiopathy and Stroke
A condition called amyloid angiopathy is often associated with stroke.
Amyloid angiopathy is the accumulation of protein fragments in blood vessels.
This results in bleeding in the brain, which is often referred to ashemorrhagic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage.
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When there is a small amount of bleeding, there may be no symptoms at all.
If recurrent bleeding episodes occur, symptoms may begin to become noticeable.
Causes
Amyloid deposits may accumulate inside the walls of blood vessels in the brain.
This is referred to as amyloid angiopathy.
The accumulation of amyloid may cause blood vessels to deteriorate over time until they eventually break down and bleed.
Inflammationis associated with stroke.
Typically, bleeding because of amyloid angiopathy is very small, affecting tiny blood vessels.
Amyloid angiopathy can also lead to a large area of bleeding in the brain, which can be life-threatening.
A brain biopsy is a surgical procedure that carries a risk of bleeding and/or infection.
Therefore, biopsies are not performed unless they are absolutely necessary.
This is an efficient test that detects bleeding in the brain.
GRE can identify large or small areas of bleeding that took place hours or years before the test.
The characteristic appearance of amyloid angiopathy on GRE is commonly referred to as cortical cerebral microbleeding."
You may need to avoid taking certain blood thinners.
2011;14(3):453-5. doi: 10.1007/s12028-010-9497-0
