People with insomnia may have an increased risk of suffering from a subarachnoid haemorrhage, according to a new study.
The research, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, explored the link between aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage, intracranial aneurysms and various risk factors including insomnia.
The researchers compared nearly 4,200 cases of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage and nearly 6,300 cases of intracranial aneurysm to more than 59,500 controls to establish genetic predisposition to aneurisms.
A genetic predisposition to insomnia was associated with a 24 per cent increased risk for aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage and intracranial aneurysm.
More than 3 per cent of adults have unruptured blood vessels in the brain, around 2.5 per cent of which will rupture, resulting in a subarachnoid haemorrhage.
The condition, also known as brain bleed, occurs when the brain ruptures and bleeds into the space between the brain and the scull.
“Ruptured aneurysms are highly fatal,” said study author Susanna C. Larsson, Ph.D., associate professor in the unit of cardiovascular and nutritional epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, and the unit of medical epidemiology at Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden.
“It is, therefore, extremely important to identify modifiable risk factors that can help prevent aneurysms from rupturing,” .
The researchers also studied the link between the neurological conditions and established risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure.
They also looked at coffee consumption, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), blood glucose levels, type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, chronic inflammation and kidney function.
As well as the insomnia link, the research revealed:
- The risk for intracranial aneurysm was about three times higher for smokers vs. non-smokers.
- The risk for intracranial aneurysm was almost three times higher for each 10 mm Hg increase in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number in a blood pressure reading).
- High triglyceride levels and high BMI did not demonstrate an increased risk for intracranial aneurysm and aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Larsson said: “The association between insomnia and intracranial aneurysm has not been reported previously, and these findings warrant confirmation in future studies.
“Our research supports the thinking that risk factors that people can change or manage may impact brain aneurysms and haemorrhage risk.
“Once confirmed, future studies should examine ways to incorporate this knowledge into prevention programs and therapies.”
Subarachnoid haemorrhage is a relatively rare type of stroke, manifesting as a severe headache that peaks within one to five minutes and lasts more than an hour.
