Risk of subarachnoid haemorrhage in first degree relatives of patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage: follow up study based on national registries in Denmark
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First degree relatives of patients who have experienced subarachnoid haemorrhage have a three to fivefold increased risk of suffering the same type of haemorrhage compared with the general population, suggest researchers in this week's BMJ.
Dr David Gaist from Odense University in Denmark and colleagues investigated records of over 9,000 (9,367) patients in Denmark who were admitted to hospital between 1977 and 1995 with subarachnoid haemorrhage [a type of brain haemorrhage in which blood from a ruptured blood vessel spread over the surface of the brain]. Having identified individuals who had suffered subarachnoid haemorrhage, the authors then conducted follow-up research to ascertain whether any first degree relatives (parents, siblings or children) had also experienced such a haemorrhage.
Gaist et al found that first degree relatives of patients who have experienced subarachnoid haemorrhage are at a threefold to fivefold increased risk of experiencing such a haemorrhage themselves compared with the general population, but that the incidence rate of subarachnoid haemorrhage is low.
Contact:
Dr David Gaist, Postdoctoral Fellow, Epidemiology Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense University, Denmark
Tel: +45 65 50 30 58
dgaist@health.sdu.dk