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TUESDAY, Aug. 25, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
Smokers<\/a> with the most common type of heart<\/a> rhythm disorder can reduce their risk of stroke<\/a> and death by giving up cigarettes, a new study says.<\/p>\n “Smoking<\/a> precipitates blood clots<\/a> that could lead to a stroke<\/a>, which may be why giving up lowers risk,” said study author So-Ryoung Lee of Seoul National University Hospital in South Korea.<\/p>\n But even former smokers<\/a> had higher odds for stroke<\/a> compared to never smokers, the study found.<\/p>\n “The remaining stroke<\/a> risk after quitting might be through the damage already caused to the arteries — called atherosclerosis<\/a>,” Lee said in a European Society of Cardiology news release.<\/p>\n Stroke<\/a> is the most common cause of death in people with atrial fibrillation<\/a> (a-fib<\/a>). People with a-fib<\/a> are five times more likely to have a stroke<\/a> than those without the heart<\/a> rhythm disorder. And a-fib<\/a> increases the risk of death two-fold in women and 1.5-fold in men.<\/p>\n Previous research has shown that smokers are at higher risk for a-fib<\/a> and a subsequent stroke<\/a>.<\/p>\n This study included nearly 98,000 people, average age 61, in South Korea who were diagnosed with a-fib<\/a> from 2010 to 2016. They were followed until the end of 2017, for a median follow-up of three years.<\/p>\n Compared to current smokers, quitters were 30% less likely to have a stroke<\/a> and 16% less likely to die from any cause.<\/p>\n However, quitters were still 19% more likely to have a stroke and 46% more likely to die than people who never smoked, but these associations were consistently seen only in men.<\/p>\n New and persistent smokers had even greater risk of stroke than people who never smoked. New smokers had an 84% higher risk and persistent smokers had a 66% higher risk, according to the study. The results were presented Tuesday at a virtual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology.<\/p>\n Lee noted that the benefits of quitting were less pronounced in people who were heavy smokers before their irregular heartbeat diagnosis.<\/p>\n “This may be related to longer-term damage to the blood vessels which increases susceptibility to having a stroke,” Lee said.<\/p>\n “If you don’t smoke<\/a>, don’t start. If you do, it’s never too late to quit. Regardless of how much you smoke, kicking the habit is good for health,” Lee concluded.<\/p>\n Data and conclusions presented at meetings are usually considered preliminary until peer-reviewed for publication in a medical journal.<\/p>\n — Robert Preidt<\/p>\n ![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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