Woo, D. et al. Neurology 2009; 72:69-72.

Smoking and family history and risk of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Purpose: Using a population-based case-control study of hemorrhagic stroke, researchers
hypothesized that having both a first-degree relative with a brain aneurysm and current
smoking interact to increase the risk of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Overall Findings: People who smoked and had a family history of stroke were more than
six times more likely to suffer a stroke than those who did not smoke and did not have a
family history of stroke or brain aneurysm. The study also found that people with a
family history of stroke could cut their risk by more than half by quitting smoking. The
results were the same regardless of high blood pressure, diabetes, alcohol use, body mass
index and education level.

How it can be used: While all people should be advised to quit smoking, these findings
suggest that if you smoke and you have a family history of aneurysms, you are at an
extremely high risk of suffering a stroke from a ruptured brain aneurysm.