FRIDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals who sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at an increased risk of stroke, with more than 10 times higher risk in the first three months, according to a study published online July 28 in Stroke.
Yi-Hua Chen, Ph.D., from the Taipei Medical University in Taiwan, and colleagues estimated the risk of stroke during a period of five years following TBI, and compared it with those who did not suffer a TBI. A total of 23,199 patients with TBI, receiving ambulatory or hospitalization care, were compared with 69,597 non-TBI controls matched by sex, age, and year of index use of health care. Data were obtained from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000, and were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard regression model.
The investigators identified 675 strokes in TBI patients, and 207 in controls during the three-month follow-up (2.91 and 0.3 percent, respectively). After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and selected comorbidities, TBI was independently associated with a greater risk of stroke at three months, one year, and five years (10.21, 4.61, and 2.32 times, respectively). Compared to patients without TBI, those with TBI had a more noticeable risk of intracerebral hemorrhage.
"This is the first report showing an increased risk of stroke among individuals who have sustained a TBI," the authors write.
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