Life events and risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage: The Australasian cooperative research on subarachnoid hemorrhage study (ACROSS)

Background and Purpose: Because little evidence exists and the topic often raises concerns, we aimed to determine the relationship between life events and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in a population-based case-control setting. Methods: In 388 SAH incident cases and 473 frequency-matched community SAH-free control subjects, information on the occurrence of 12 types of adverse life events in the preceding 1 and 2 to 12 months was obtained by interview using a questionnaire based on the Social Behavior Assessment Schedule. Analyses involved logistic regression models with adjustment for confounding variables. RESULTS: Among 12 life events, only 2 ("financial/legal problems" and "other") in the past month were marginally associated with SAH (P=0.04 and 0.03, respectively), whereas "physical attack/assaultg" and "injury/disease of a relative/friend/pet" during the past 2 to 12 months also showed similarly marginally significant and imprecise associations (inversely) with SAH. There were no clear associations between multiple life events and SAH for both the prior month and 2 to 12 months (both P<0.4). Conclusions: Life events are unlikely to have appreciable effects on the risk of SAH.