Smoking cessation reduces heart disease risk
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Smoking cessation benefits patients with coronary heart disease
One study in the Dec 1, 2010 issue of American Journal of Cardiology suggests smoking cessation would benefit cigarette smokers with coronary heart disease.
The study led by P. Frey and colleagues from University of California - San Francisco looked at 111,513 ex-smokers, 3,176 current smokers, and 4,196 patients who never smoked.
Compared with those who never smoked cigarettes, current smokers were 68 percent more likely to have a major cardiovascular event such as cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or resuscitated cardiac arrest.
Compared with ex-smokers, current smokers were 57 percent more likely to have a major cardiovascular event.
The researchers wrote "in patients with coronary disease receiving modern medical therapy, smoking cessation is of substantial benefit with a number needed to treat of 22 to prevent a major cardiovascular event over 5 years. Smoking cessation deserves greater emphasis in secondary prevention."
Heavy smoking and heart failure
A new study suggests former heavy cigarette smokers are at higher risk of heart failure even after 15 years of smoking abstinence.
The study led by Ali Ahmed M.D. at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found those who smoked 32 or more pack years, but quit smoking 15 or more years ago were at 44 percent increased risk of heart failure during a 12 years of follow-up, compared to non-smokers.
Compared to non-smokers, the former heavy smokers who were among the highest quartile in pack years of smoking were also at higher risk of heart attack and death from all causes.
But those in the lowest three quartiles in pack years of smoking faced a similar risk as non-smokers did.
The Cardiovascular Health Study involved 5,338 participants with no prevalent heart failure.
Smoking cessation and cholesterol
Another study suggests smoking cessation boosted high density lipoprotein cholesterol even though it was associated with weight gain.
Adam D Gepner MD of University of Wisconsin at Madison found those who quit smoking but gained 10 pounds of body weight had a better cholesterol profile, compared to those who continued smoking but gain 1.5 pounds of body weight.
The researchers also found smoking cessation was associated with increases in total and large HDL particles in those who quit, compared with smokers. However, smoking cessation did not affect low density lipoprotein or LDL - the bad cholesterol.
Increases in HDL may be responsible for reduced cardiovascular disease risk observed in those who quit smoking, the researchers were cited as saying.
Tobacco smoking is a risk for heart disease.
Smoking cessation and risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
A new study found drug varenicline, individualized counseling, and referral to outpatient smoking cessation programs together helped 82 percent of smokers quit smoking in 12 months.
Those who quit tobacco smoking had carbon monoxide levels decreased to 3 ppm after one year of smoking cessation from 44 ppm at baseline. They also saw significant drops in blood pressure, total cholesterol, but no increase in body weight.
The change was expected to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease from 4.2 at baseline to 0.8 after 12 months of smoking cessation.
The reduction in blood pressure and cholesterol without weight gain may reduce the 10-year risk of heart attack significantly, Joachim Weil MD of University of Lubeck Cardiology in Lubeck, Germany was cited as saying.
The studies were resented at American Heart Association scientific meetings in Nov. 2010.
David Liu
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