Patients who quit smoking after a diagnosis of stable coronary artery disease can reduce their risk of a major cardiovascular event by almost 50 per cent. But cutting down smoking had minimal impact on cardiovascular risk. The study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress included 32,378 patients with coronary artery disease.
Patients who quit smoking after coronary artery disease diagnosis saw a 44 per cent reduction in the risk of major cardiovascular events, including death or myocardial infarction, over a five-year follow-up period. But the risk for patients who just reduced the amount they smoked did not significantly change compared with those who continued to use tobacco. The risk for heart attack or death after a coronary artery disease diagnosis increased by 8 per cent for each additional year of active smoking.
ALSO READ: Why is quitting tobacco difficult?
Although smokers who quit significantly reduced their risk compared with current smokers, “they never achieved the cardiovascular risk level of patients who never smoked, even after years of smoking cessation. It is never too soon or too late to stop smoking, though the sooner a patient stops, the lower the cardiovascular risk. And it is not enough to reduce smoking,”the study concluded.
Comments are closed.