Stroke bleeds in the brain not decreasing, study finds

Image of brain
Know the FAST signs of stroke.

Brain bleeds, called intracerebral hemorrhages, remained stable in incidence among all age groups over the past 30 years, but they increased in people 75 and older, according to a new analysis of the Framingham Heart Study. The findings were published June 8 in JAMA Neurology.

Use of anticoagulants also increased in senior adults threefold over the period, but authors cautioned against making too much of it.

“We are not advocating that people stop taking statins or anticoagulants,” said report senior author Sudha Seshadri, MD, a neurologist in the Long School of Medicine. “Those therapies reduce the risk of ischemic strokes, which represent approximately nine of every 10 strokes, with intracerebral hemorrhages representing the other tenth.”

Because of the increase in life expectancy and aging of the population, health care systems will likely see an increase in the number of patients with brain hemorrhages, said Dr. Seshadri, who is senior investigator of the Framingham Heart Study and at UT Health San Antonio directs the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Read the full news release.



Share This Article!