Insomnia Linked to Increased Stroke
More evidence that insomnia increases the risk for stroke comes from the results of a large population-based study.
Researchers reviewed health records from the Taiwanese national population and compared stroke outcomes over a 4-year follow-up in 21,438 patients with a diagnosis of insomnia and 64,314 age- and sex-matched patients without insomnia.
Results showed that overall, insomniac patients had an 85% higher risk of developing stroke. This was reduced to 54% after adjustment for other factors. The effect seemed to be much greater in younger people, with patients with insomnia aged 18 to 34 years, having an 8-fold higher risk for stroke than those of a similar age without insomnia.
“Individuals should not simply accept insomnia as a benign, although difficult, condition that carries no major health risks,” said coauthor Ya-Wen Hsu, PhD, assistant professor at Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Taiwan.
“We feel strongly that individuals with chronic insomnia, particularly younger persons, see their physician to have stroke risk factors assessed and, when indicated, treated appropriately. Our findings also highlight the clinical importance of screening for insomnia
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