FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 15, 1998
CONTACT: Deia Lofendo, 847/692-9500, [email protected]
Cigarette Smoking Increases Risk of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Vasospasm
Cigarette smoking has been shown to increase the risk of vasospasm following a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery. The population-based study followed approximately 3,500 patients with SAH in Europe and the United States from 1987-1994.
"What this study determined was that there is a causal relationship between smoking and the development of aneurysms and their subsequent rupture that is independent of other known risk factors," said Bryce K.A. Weir, MD, Chief of Neurosurgery at the University of Chicago, and co-author of the paper. "This finding is significant because it indicates that smokers are two-and-one-half times more likely to get a ruptured aneurysm than non-smokers."
An aneurysm is an abnormal dilation, or ballooning, of a blood vessel that can lead to rupture and hemorrhage. When a cerebral aneurysm ruptures, it typically bleeds into the area surrounding the brain (subarachnoid space) and is called a SAH. Each year, more than 30,000 Americans have a SAH, most often occurring in adults between the ages of 40-60.
"Vasospasm is the abnormal and long-lasting constriction of arteries in the brain in response to the blood clot surrounding them after an aneurysm ruptures," according to Dr. Weir. Cerebral vasospasm after SAH usually occurs within the first 14 days of rupture and is a major cause of death in survivors of the initial bleed. Dr. Weir said, "At present, the number of smokers in the United States ranging in age from 45-64 are 28.6 percent male and 26.1 percent female. Of those who have had a SAH, the numbers are remarkable: 50-67.8 percent of males and 41.4-70.5 percent of females were smokers. It was clinically evident that smokers are more likely to suffer vasospasm than those who do not smoke. In fact, their odds of getting vasospasm is increased by 1.05 to 1.45."
More than 20 papers relating to cerebrovascular research and two Cerebrovascular Section meetings will be presented at the 1998 Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, October 3-8.
"This study supports smoking cessation as a method of lowering the risk of SAH and subsequent vasospasm," said Dr. Weir. "Smoking is a modifiable risk factor and, to that end, members of the medical community need to actively encourage their patients to stop smoking and work against those interests that seek to increase the number of cigarette smokers in our population."
Julian Hoff, MD, Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), concurred with Dr. Weir's findings and said, "This study will profoundly affect the medical community as well as the future of aneurysmal outcome studies."
The Journal of Neurosurgery is a peer-reviewed, scientific publication of The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS). The Journal is the most widely read neurosurgical publication in the world and has been published monthly since 1944. Both the Journal and the AANS are dedicated to advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to provide the highest quality of neurological care to the public. All active members of the AANS must be certified by the American Board of Neurosurgery. Neurological surgery is the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders affecting the nervous system, brain, spinal cord and spinal column.
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