People who suffer a head injury—even just once—may be at a much higher risk of having a stroke later in life, according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine.
The research found that people with at least one head injury had a 34% higher risk of stroke compared to those who never had a head injury. The risk was even greater for people who had multiple head injuries.
The study was led by Dr. Holly C. Elser, a neurologist, and was published in the journal Stroke. Dr. Elser said, “Head injuries increase the risk of stroke in people who otherwise might not have had one.” She emphasized the need to prevent head injuries by wearing helmets while biking and using seatbelts in cars to protect long-term health.
We already know that head injuries, especially traumatic brain injuries (TBI), can cause short-term problems like memory issues, mood disorders, and headaches. But researchers are still learning about the long-term effects.
Past studies have linked head injuries to serious problems like disability, epilepsy, dementia, and even early death. Now, stroke can be added to that list.
In this study, researchers used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, which followed over 13,000 adults for 30 years. The participants lived in the community—not in hospitals or nursing homes.
The goal was to find out if having a head injury increased the chance of having a stroke caused by a blood clot in the brain, known as an ischemic stroke.
The study only included people who had never had a stroke before their head injury. Head injuries were identified using medical records or through interviews, and included anything from mild concussions to serious skull fractures.
One of the surprising findings was that the number of head injuries mattered more than how severe they were. People who had more than one head injury had an even greater risk of stroke.
However, the severity of the injury did not seem to change the risk much. Another key finding was that people with a history of head injury were more likely to have more serious strokes.
Dr. Elser said this study shows the need for early stroke prevention strategies in people who have had a head injury, even if they don’t have a history of stroke. Doctors should talk to these patients about ways to lower their risk, such as eating healthy, getting regular exercise, and treating high blood pressure or high cholesterol with medication.
This research adds to the growing evidence that protecting your head can protect your health in many ways. While more studies are needed to fully understand why head injuries raise stroke risk, one thing is clear: preventing head trauma and taking action after an injury can help reduce serious long-term risks like stroke.
If you care about stroke, please read research about Research finds a better high blood pressure treatment for stroke patients and findings of Scientists find a better drug than statins for stroke patients.
If you care about stroke, please read studies about Half of people with heart rhythm diseases dying of heart attack, stroke and findings of New method reduces heart attacks and strokes over five years.
The study is published in Stroke.
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