title: Anticoagulation therapy a risk factor for the development of chronic subdural hematoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a common disease among the elderly and with increasing incidence we have chosen to focus on associations between development and recurrence of CSDH and anticoagulation and/or antiplatelet agent therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective review of 239 patients undergoing surgery for CSDH over a period of six years (2006-2011). Risk factors such as age, head trauma, anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet agent therapy and co-morbidity were investigated along with gender, coagulation status, laterality, surgical method and recurrence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-two percent of the patients were male and the mean age was 71.8 years (range 28-97 years). Previous fall with head trauma was reported in 60% of the patients while 16% were certain of no previous head trauma. The majority of patients (63%) in the non-trauma group were receiving anticoagulants and/or antiplatelet agent therapy prior to CSDH presentation, compared to 42% in the trauma group. Twenty-four percent experienced recurrence of the CSDH. There was no association between recurrence and anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet agent therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet aggregation agent therapy is more prevalent among non-traumatic CSDH patients but does not seem to influence the rate of CSDH recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. oskar.aspegren@gmail.com
authors.forename: Oskar P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Aspegren
authors.forename: Ramona
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Åstrand
authors.forename: Maria I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Lundgren
authors.forename: Bertil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Romner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015897:Comorbidity; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D020200:Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors