We recently reported that people who have sustained a traumatic brain injury are more likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's Disease. Unfortunately, new research is also suggesting that victims of brain injuries are also at increased risk for suffering a stroke.

According to USA Today, Taiwanese researchers have determined that in the three months following a brain injury, patients are ten times more likely to suffer a stroke than those without injuries. Exactly why is not totally clear.

It's not entirely new information. Experts know that brain injuries can cause many complications, including cardiac problems, blood clotting and torn arteries, all of which increase the chance of a stroke.

However, a new study examined thousands of patients. Researchers at Taipei Medical University reportedly took a look at over 23,000 people who had suffered brain injuries and compared them with nearly 70,000 people who had not.

Within three months, 0.30 percent of those who did not suffer a brain injury had a stroke. That compared with 2.91 percent of those who had suffered a brain injury. The risk of stroke diminished over time, however. After five years, the risk was only 2.3 times great for those who had suffered a brain injury.

The risk for people who had suffered a skull fracture was higher, though. People who suffered brain injuries were also more likely to have other complications, including diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 53 people suffers a traumatic brain injury every year. That's a lot.

Source: USA Today, "Brain injury may boost stroke risk," Steven Reinberg, Aug. 1, 2011