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(Stroke. 2008;39:1344.)
© 2008 American Heart Association, Inc.

Research Letters

Risk of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

The Role of Confirmed Hypertension

From the School of Medicine (C.M.J.-Y.), Universidad de Antioquia, Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paúl, Medellín, Colombia; and the National School of Public Health (J.L.L.-F.), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.

Correspondence to Carlos Mario Jiménez-Yepes, Servicio de Neurocirugía Universidad de Antioquia, Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paúl, Calle 64 X Carrera 51D, Medellín, Colombia. E-mail carjimenez{at}une.net.co

Abstract

Background and Purpose— From the studied variables in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) risk, hypertension is probably the most controvertible one. The aim of this study was to determine whether confirmed hypertension, prospectively diagnosed with strict criteria, is an independent risk factor for aneurysmal SAH.

Methods— A case-control study was conducted in 2 colombian cities between July 2004 and June 2005. There were 163 new cases of SAH (mean age 51 years; 107 were women) with 2 controls per case: 1 hospital and 1 community control. Hypertension was defined according to cardiovascular criteria, based on target organ damage. In addition to hypertension, other variables were studied: present smoking, recent alcohol consumption, alcohol dependency, coffee consumption, cocaine use, and body mass index. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine whether hypertension was an independent risk factor.

Results— Among the studied variables, including confirmed hypertension, only present smoking became an independent risk factor for SAH.

Conclusions— Confirmed hypertension is not an independent risk factor for aneurysmal SAH.

Key Words: subarachnoid hemorrhage • risk factors • aneurysm • hypertension • cigarette smoking