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Even very light smokers run serious heart attack risk
August 12, 2002Very light smokers significantly increase their risk of a heart attack, shows research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Furthermore, women are much more susceptible than men to the detrimental effects of tobacco, even if they don't inhale.
The findings are based on a population sample of over 12,000 men and women taking part in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, which began in 1976.
The participants, all aged 20 or older at the start of the study, were monitored up to 1998. During this period, 872 men and 476 women had a heart attack, and 2883 men and 2305 women died from other causes
After adjusting for major cardiovascular disease risk factors, including total cholesterol, lifestyle, family history, weight and diabetes, there was a strong and increasing link between the amount smoked and the risks of heart attack and death from other causes.
For the purposes of the study, a cigarette was equated to 1 gram of tobacco, a cheroot to 3 grams, and a cigar to 5 grams. Over 80 per cent of women smokers smoked cigarettes compared with just under 57 per cent of male smokers.
Compared with non-smokers, men doubled their risk of a heart attack inhaling the smoke of 6 to 9 grams of tobacco a day; not inhaling the same amount increased the risk by 13 per cent.
But among women, the detrimental effects were evident at lower levels of consumption. Inhaling the smoke of just 3 to 5 grams of tobacco a day doubled a woman's chance of a heart attack or death from all causes. Smoking 6 to 9 grams a day, but not inhaling, increased her risk of a heart attack by almost 60 per cent.
And compared with non-smokers, women who smoked had significantly higher overall risk for heart attack and death from all causes than men. Health risks were highest for cigarette smokers of both sexes, although the impact was greater in women.
Women's greater susceptibility to the detrimental effects of tobacco is thought to be because they are more prone to respiratory disease than men, say the authors, and smoking affects the oestrogen balance, the hormone which protects against cardiovascular disease.
The authors conclude that many smokers think that they will reduce the health risks associated with smoking tobacco by cutting down what they smoke or by not inhaling, but the authors says that this research proves them wrong.
British Medical Journal (BMJ)
Smoking Current Events and Smoking News RSSPregnant women with asthma can be more confident about some medicines
Women can usually keep using the same asthma drugs they were using before they got pregnant. Budesonide sprays are the best studied and can be regarded as safe.
Drop in cancer deaths tied primarily to gains in behavior and screening
Improvements in behavior and screening have contributed greatly to the 13 percent decline in cancer mortality since 1990, with better cancer treatments playing a supporting role, according to new research from David Cutler of Harvard University.
Pregnant women with asthma can be more confident about some medicines
Women can usually keep using the same asthma drugs they were using before they got pregnant. Budesonide sprays are the best studied and can be regarded as safe.
Newborns exposed to maternal smoking more irritable, difficult to soothe
Previous studies have shown that babies exposed to tobacco in utero are more likely to have a low birth weight and are at increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome.
Cardiovascular disease causing increasing inequity between rich and poor
A new paper released today by The George Institute for International Health is warning a cardiovascular disease based epidemic is gaining pace among many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), exemplified at its worst in the world's largest populated countries - China and India.
High levels of prenatal smoking exposure affect sleep patterns in preterm neonates
A study in the Dec. 1 issue of the journal Sleep is the first to show that high levels of prenatal smoking exposure strongly modify sleep patterns in preterm neonates, which places infants at a higher risk for developmental difficulties that could persist throughout early and middle childhood.
Stanford/Packard study shows no benefit from drug widely used to prevent premature births
When a pregnant woman goes into early labor, her obstetrician may give her drugs to quiet the woman's uterus and prevent premature birth.
Hairspray is linked to common genital birth defect, says study
Women who are exposed to hairspray in the workplace during pregnancy have more than double the risk of having a son with the genital birth defect hypospadias, according to a new study published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Ability to quit smoking may depend on ADHD symptoms, Columbia researchers find
Tobacco use is more prevalent and smoking cessation less likely among persons with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (A.D.H.D.) In a study of smokers with attention deficit and hyperactivity symptoms, those who exhibited elevated hyperactivity and impulsivity, with or without inattention, showed lower quit rates after 8 weeks than those with inattention symptoms alone or those without the A.D.H.D. symptoms.
Smoking, teens and their parents: New research
A new study found that adolescents were at the greatest risk of smoking when their parents began smoking at an early age and the parents' smoking quickly reached high levels and persisted over time.
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