RESEARCH - Blood thinner linked to increased brain bleeding

[Guest guest]

Blood Thinner Linked to Increased Brain Bleeding

That raises risk of death from hemorrhagic stroke, researchers say

Posted September 29, 2008

By Ed Edelson

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- The amount of bleeding in the

brain that occurs when a blood vessel bursts and causes a stroke is

greater for some people who take the clot-preventing drug warfarin

(Coumadin), a new study shows.

It's not a surprising finding, said Dr. Woo, an associate

professor of neurology at the University of Cincinnati and co-author

of the report in the Sept. 30 issue of Neurology, since it's long been

established that the risk of death from such a stroke is greater for

people taking warfarin.

But there has been a debate about whether the increased risk is due to

an increased volume of blood spewed into the brain. The study of 258

people who had brain hemorrhages appears to settle the issue, Woo

said: " We did find a larger volume of hemorrhage in these patients. "

This general finding might not impress the estimated millions of

Americans, most of them elderly, who are taking warfarin for a variety

of reasons, such as prevention of potentially stroke-causing clots due

to the abnormal heartbeat called atrial fibrillation. It is also taken

by people with artificial heart valves or who have tiny blood clots in

the lungs.

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Read the rest of the article here:

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2008/09/29/blood-thinner-link\

ed-to-increased-brain-bleeding.html

Not an MD

[Guest guest]

,

My father took Coumadin. I feared it so greatly that I had a medic

alert bracelet made stating that he took it and the name and number

of his cardiologist. I was so afraid if he was in an accident, he

would bleed to death before anyone realized his blood wasn't

clotting.

Shirley

>

> Blood Thinner Linked to Increased Brain Bleeding

> That raises risk of death from hemorrhagic stroke, researchers say

>

>

> Posted September 29, 2008

> By Ed Edelson

> HealthDay Reporter

>

> MONDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- The amount of bleeding in the

> brain that occurs when a blood vessel bursts and causes a stroke is

> greater for some people who take the clot-preventing drug warfarin

> (Coumadin), a new study shows.

>

> It's not a surprising finding, said Dr. Woo, an associate

> professor of neurology at the University of Cincinnati and co-

author

> of the report in the Sept. 30 issue of Neurology, since it's long

been

> established that the risk of death from such a stroke is greater

for

> people taking warfarin.

>

> But there has been a debate about whether the increased risk is

due to

> an increased volume of blood spewed into the brain. The study of

258

> people who had brain hemorrhages appears to settle the issue, Woo

> said: " We did find a larger volume of hemorrhage in these

patients. "

>

> This general finding might not impress the estimated millions of

> Americans, most of them elderly, who are taking warfarin for a

variety

> of reasons, such as prevention of potentially stroke-causing clots

due

> to the abnormal heartbeat called atrial fibrillation. It is also

taken

> by people with artificial heart valves or who have tiny blood

clots in

> the lungs.

>

>

> ***********************************************

> Read the rest of the article here:

>

>

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2008/09/29/blood-

thinner-linked-to-increased-brain-bleeding.html

>

>

>

> Not an MD

>