Why female smokers are more at higher risk of brain haemorrhage

Women indulging in smoking are more at risk of developing bleeding inside the lining of the brain, also known as subarachnoid haemorrhage, a study has warned. Subarachnoid haemorrhage is a condition of bleeding in the lining between the brain’s surface and underlying brain tissues. The findings showed that although cigarette smoking was linked to an increased risk of subarachnoid haemorrhage among both sexes, women faced the highest risk. “Female sex has been described as an independent risk factor for subarachnoid haemorrhage, but we found strong evidence that the elevated risk in women is explained by vulnerability to smoking,” said lead author Joni Valdemar Lindbohm, Physician at the University of Helsinki in Finland.

Furthermore, among light smokers (1 to 10 cigarettes per day), women were 2.95 times more likely to have subarachnoid haemorrhage compared to non-smokers, while men who smoked comparable amounts of cigarettes were 1.93 times more likely. Women who smoked 11 to 20 cigarettes per day were 3.89 times more likely to have subarachnoid haemorrhage compared to non- smokers, while men who smoked comparable amounts of cigarettes were 2.13 times more likely. Women who smoked 21 to 30 cigarettes per day were more than 8.35 times likely to have subarachnoid haemorrhage compared to non- smokers, while men who smoked comparable amounts of cigarettes were 2.76 times more likely.