Scientists at Imperial College London have discovered that iron deficiency may increase stroke risk by making the blood more sticky. The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.
It was found that iron deficiency increases the stickiness of platelets, which initiate blood clotting when they stick together.
Dr Claire Shovlin, from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, said: “Since platelets in the blood stick together more if you are short of iron, we think this may explain why being short of iron can lead to strokes, though much more research will be needed to prove this link.
“The next step is to test whether we can reduce high-risk patients’ chances of having a stroke by treating their iron deficiency.”
