Hispanic Americans who have even a small amount of plaque build-up in their carotid artery are four times more likely to suffer or die from a stroke than those with clear arteries, a new study suggests.

The research included 2,189 men and women who were part in the multi-ethnic Northern Manhattan Study, in New York City.

Using ultrasound, the researchers found that 58 percent of the participants had carotid artery plaque, and the maximum carotid plaque thickness is more than 1.9 millimeters of plaque.

After a follow-up of 6.9 years, 121 of the participants had ischemic stroke, 118 had myocardial infarction, and 166 had died of other vascular causes.