Drug linked to fatal brain bleeding

A blood-thinning drug may lead to increased levels of bleeding in the brain and death if patients suffer a stroke, a study has claimed.

US scientists said people taking warfarin were at an increased risk of death in the event of haemorrhagic stroke.

Warfarin is commonly prescribed to prevent blood clotting, but studies have shown it helps prevent ischemic stroke for patients with an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation.


However, if the drug makes the blood too thin, it can increase the risk of brain haemorrhage, a type of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain.

Scientists from the University of Cincinnati - publishing their findings in Neurology journal - looked at 258 people who had brain haemorrhages, 51 of whom were taking warfarin.

Participants, who had an average age of 69, underwent brain scans to confirm their type of stroke and to measure the size of their blood clots.


The study found that people who took warfarin and suffered a brain haemorrhage while their international normalised ratio (INR) was above three had about twice as much initial bleeding as those not taking warfarin.

However, this effect was not seen in people whose blood was less likely to clot as determined by an INR of less than three. An INR test measures the blood's ability to clot.

Study author Matthew Flaherty of the University of Cincinnati explained: "Warfarin is very effective for preventing ischemic strokes among people with atrial fibrillation and for most patients with this condition it is the right choice.

'However, people who have bleeding into the brain while taking warfarin are at greater risk of dying than other people with hemorrhagic stroke. Our study may help to explain why.'

The study author added: 'People should talk to their doctors about the proper management of warfarin and learn the signs of stroke so they can get to an emergency room immediately if a stroke occurs.'

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