AUTHOR=Isokuortti Harri , Iverson Grant L. , Posti Jussi P. , Ruuskanen Jori O. , Brander Antti , Kataja Anneli , Nikula Milaja , Öhman Juha , Luoto Teemu M. 

TITLE=Serotonergic Antidepressants and Risk for Traumatic Intracranial Bleeding

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2021.758707

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2021.758707

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> Serotonergic antidepressants may predispose to bleeding but the effect on traumatic intracranial bleeding is unknown.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> The rate of intracranial bleeding in patients with antidepressant medication was compared to patients not antidepressants in a cohort of patients with acute head injury. This association was examined by using a consecutive cohort of head trauma patients from a Finnish tertiary center emergency department (Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland). All consecutive (2010–2012) adult patients (<italic>n</italic> = 2,890; median age = 58; male = 56%, CT-positive = 22%, antithrombotic medication users = 25%, antidepressant users = 10%) who underwent head CT due to head trauma in the emergency department were included.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Male gender, GCS &lt;15, older age, and anticoagulation were associated with an increased risk for traumatic intracranial bleeding. There were 17.8% of patients not taking antidepressants and 18.3% of patients on an antidepressant who had traumatic intracranial bleeding (<italic>p</italic> = 0.830). Among patients who were taking antithrombotic medication, 16.6% of the patients not taking antidepressant medication, and 22.5% of the patients taking antidepressant medication, had bleeding (<italic>p</italic> = 0.239). In a regression analysis, traumatic intracranial hemorrhage was not associated with antidepressant use.</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> Serotonergic antidepressant use was not associated with an increased risk of traumatic intracranial hemorrhage.</p>