A study shows that a very small amount of tobacco exposes the risk of hemorrhage of the meninges. Women are particularly concerned.
A very large Finnish study published in the journal Stroke, undermines these reassuring self-beliefs. Tobacco, even in amounts deemed harmless, is correlated with an increased risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage (bleeding). This type of hemorrhage is caused by the spontaneous rupture of an artery in the meninges, the membranes that surround the brain. The blood flows, exerting a very dangerous pressure on the brain tissue. About 20% of people affected die before arriving at the hospital.
Even a single cigarette is not without risk
Scientists have examined a group of 65.521 people in Finland, half of whom were women, over a very long period (40 years). Over the years of research, 492 volunteers have suffered from subarachnoid hemorrhage. By crossing this data with the smoking habits of these victims, the researchers found that both occasional and regular smoking increased the risk of bleeding. The risk is said to be dose-dependent: it increases very rapidly with the number of cigarettes per day. From just one cigarette per day, the risk increases sharply, whether in men or women.
Women in the very first line
Of the 492 people who had hemorrhaging, 266 were women. Apparently, nature seems fair. Except that in this cohort, 38% of men were smokers, so 19% of women only were. The results clearly show that men and women are not on an equal footing when it comes to risk. Women who smoked more than twenty cigarettes a day, considered to be " big smokers“, Showed a 3,5 times higher risk compared to non-smokers, while men had a risk only 2,2 times greater.
Why are women more fragile than men? The deleterious mechanism of tobacco is not fully understood. However, “ it is possible that tobacco reduces the level of estrogen in their body, which would lead to collagen development and inflammation, which would lead to a deterioration in the condition of the vessel walls“, Says the study.
Source : Francetvinfo.fr
