May 4, 2021
People who have experienced a cerebral hemorrhage or brain bleed have a two-fold increase in the risk of having an ischemic stroke (caused by an artery blockage) or heart attack, compared with members of the general population, according to new research from investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.
The researchers said the findings, published May 3 in JAMA Neurology, have broad implications for the monitoring and treatment of patients who have experienced cerebral hemorrhage and brain bleeds.
“These findings are contrary to the conventional wisdom, because somebody who has had a brain bleed is believed to be at higher risk for subsequent brain bleeds, but not necessarily clotting events,” said lead author Dr. Santosh Murthy, assistant professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine and the medical director of the Neurological Intensive Care Unit at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “These findings suggest that we need to change the way we follow these patients and perhaps screen them more aggressively for problems that are related to clotting disorders.”