Register for Quitting Smoking Doesn't Erase Increased Risk Of Brain Hemorrhage
Tobacco UseMarch 22, 2001
2001 MAR 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cigarette smoking increases the risk of brain hemorrhage, and the risk persists even after an individual quits smoking, evidence from a new study by University at Buffalo (UB) stroke researchers shows.
They also found that incidence is much higher in women who smoke or have quit smoking.
In their case-control study, they found that both current smoking and previous smoking were associated with a significantly increased risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage - bleeding into the space between the middle and inner linings of the brain.
The study results were presented recently at the American Heart Association International Joint Conference on Stroke and Cerebral Circulation.
"People need to be aware that once they take up smoking, they are facing a potentially irreversible risk for subarachnoid hemorrhage," said Adnan I. Qureshi, UB assistant professor of neurosurgery and lead author. "The study points out the important role of a potentially modifiable risk factor for brain hemorrhage. Unfortunately, the risk does not appear to change after quitting cigarette smoking. Therefore the only effective way to reduce the risk is to avoid smoking all together."
Less common than stroke caused by blocked arteries, subarachnoid hemorrhage accounts for 5% to 10% of strokes. It may occur without warning and often is fatal.
Qureshi and colleagues affiliated with UB's Toshiba Stroke Research Center and The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions reviewed the medical records of 323 patients admitted to The Johns Hopkins University Hospital between January 1990 and June 1997 with a diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage. They compared data on risk factors for stroke from these cases with data from matched controls selected from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a representative sample of the U.S. population.
Only 93, or 28%, of the patients were men, an indication that this brain event is much more common among women. Forty-six percent of the patients were smokers at the time of the stroke, while 39% had smoked in the past, according to their medical records. The average age of the patients was 52. This type of stroke occurs most often between the ages of 35 and 60.
Analysis of data from cases and controls showed that current smokers were twice as likely to experience a subarachnoid hemorrhage than persons who never had smoked. The risk for smokers who had quit was similar to those who actively were smoking.
"Our findings support previous research showing that smoking increases the risk of this type of stroke," Qureshi said. "It also shows that the risk persists even after people quit. The message is, of course, that people should not begin to smoke if they want to avoid this and other health risks associated with smoking." This article was prepared by Women's Health Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
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