Brain Bleeds on the Rise in Older Seniors, but Blood Thinners May Be Preventing Fatal Strokes at Earlier Ages

A new analysis of the Framingham Heart Study in JAMA Neurology found that the frequency of brain bleeds has stabilized among most age groups over the last 30 years, but not among seniors 75 and older, reports Philly Voice . Usage of blood thinners tripled during the study period, but researchers suggested that their benefits may offset their risks by preventing blood clots. "Those therapies reduce the risk of ischemic strokes, which represent approximately nine of every 10 strokes, with intracerebral hemorrhages representing the other tenth," said the University of Texas Health San Antonio's Sudha Seshadri. The investigators said as people live longer, healthcare systems should expect more brain hemorrhages. "One of the possible explanations for why we saw more bleeds in older Framingham participants is that, by using these anticoagulant medications, we prevented adverse events that would potentially have killed them earlier in life," said Harvard Medical School Professor Vasileios-Arsenios Lioutas. "We prolonged their life expectancy and then, because we did, they were at risk to have a hemorrhage later in life." Seshadri said the most important finding is that intracerebral hemorrhages are growing in a demographic that is increasing each year. "We should find new means of prevention of these strokes, and at the same time, healthcare systems should be ready to treat more hemorrhages in the future," he recommended.