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Posted on Sep 30, 2002, 6 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
A recent study conducted by researchers at Tromso University Hospital in Norway suggests that drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes could increase the risk of a rare type of stroke called a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is caused by bleeding in the brain. Dr Tor Ingebrigtsen and his colleagues found that people who had a subarachnoid hemorrhage were more likely to smoke, to drink more coffee, and to have high blood pressure.
A recent study conducted by researchers at Tromso University Hospital in Norway suggests that drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes could increase the risk of a rare type of stroke called a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is caused by bleeding in the brain. Dr Tor Ingebrigtsen and his colleagues found that people who had a subarachnoid hemorrhage were more likely to smoke, to drink more coffee, and to have high blood pressure. Their results revealed that the risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage was quadrupled in current smokers, and more than doubled in ex-smokers. Coffee lovers also seem to be affected as those who drank five or more cups of coffee a day were found to be nearly four-times as likely to suffer from this type of stroke. The study also showed that the risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage more than doubled for each 20-point increase in blood pressure. However, the results showed that other risk factors such as obesity and having high cholesterol levels did not appear to have an impact upon subarachnoid haemorrhage risk.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2002; 73:112, 185-187
