- In the realm of heart disease, ceasing smoking dramatically reduces the risk of experiencing a heart attack by half.
It's commonly known that smoking can be detrimental to one's health and potentially lethal. "Hardly any illness isn't negatively associated with cigarette smoke," asserts Ulrich Laufs, a scientific advisor to the German Heart Foundation and director of cardiology at Leipzig University Hospital. Despite the fact that cigarettes have been proven to cause tumors, strokes, and heart attacks, many find it difficult to quit smoking.
A study reveals that even after being diagnosed with stable coronary heart disease, quitting cigarettes still offers significant advantages - significantly decreasing the risk of serious cardiovascular events such as heart attacks. "Stable coronary heart disease occurs when the coronary arteries become narrowed due to calcium deposits," explains Laufs. The term 'stable' signifies that no life-threatening cardiovascular events have resulted from a clogged blood vessel, such as heart attacks or strokes.
Researchers found that the risk of such dangerous events diminished by almost half (44 percent) within five years if patients stopped smoking after diagnosis. In contrast, those who merely cut down on their cigarette intake showed no significant difference in risk compared to those who continued the habit.
If not after a diagnosis, then when?
The first year following diagnosis is particularly crucial, according to study author Jules Mesnier from Hospital Bichat-Claude Bernard in Paris. A whopping 73 percent of those who quit smoking after diagnosis remained abstinent during this period, significantly reducing their risk of heart attacks and other serious cardiovascular events.
For cardiologist Harm Wienbergen from Bremen's Klinikum Links der Weser, it's a logical consequence that nearly three-quarters of patients who quit smoking after diagnosis cease smoking within the first year: "The desire to quit smoking is particularly strong after receiving a life-threatening shock diagnosis."
Patients should be strongly encouraged to quit smoking at the time of diagnosis, suggests Mesnier. Informing them that they can reduce their risk of a "serious event or death" by half is a powerful message.
While former smokers swiftly lower their risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events compared to active smokers, they do not reach the risk level of non-smokers even years later.
However, for those who persist with smoking, the risk of serious events increases by an average of eight percent each year. "A heart attack can lead to permanent heart weakness and valve defects due to damage to the entire heart function," explains Wienbergen.
And those who quit smoking - or never start - do more than just favor their hearts, he adds. Not smoking not only reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke but also, for example, dementia and diabetes.
Expert: Non-smoking surroundings aid in quitting
To assist smokers, whether heart patients or not, to quit, their immediate surroundings should be smoke-free, advises Laufs: "The likelihood of someone successfully quitting smoking is correlated with whether smoking occurs in their environment." For some patients, medicinal support or nicotine replacement therapy may also be an option.
"I always tell my patients that it's never too early or too late to quit smoking," emphasizes Mesnier. "But the earlier a patient stops, the better it is for heart health."
The study, presented towards the end of August in London at the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), analyzed data from 32,378 patients who were admitted on average 6.5 years after being diagnosed with coronary heart disease. Of these, approximately 13,400 participants (41.3 percent) had never smoked, nearly 15,000 (46.2 percent) were former smokers, and about 4,000 (12.5 percent) continued to smoke.
Despite the numerous health problems associated with smoking, such as causing tumors, strokes, and heart attacks, many individuals find it challenging to quit. Furthermore, research indicates that quitting smoking after being diagnosed with stable coronary heart disease significantly reduces the risk of serious cardiovascular events like heart attacks.
