Where There’s Smoke, There’s Stroke Risk
Young men who smoke cigarettes have an increased risk for ischemic stroke that intensifies based on the number of cigarettes smoked per day, according to new research.
These findings add to existing knowledge of a dose-response relationship between smoking and ischemic stroke risk that was previously only observed among young women.
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In the Stroke Prevention in Young Men Study, researchers evaluated men aged 15 to 49 years in order to determine potential risk factors for ischemic stroke in this patient population. Ultimately, 650 cases and 530 controls were included in the final analysis.
Categorical comparisons were tested using the χ2 test, and odds ratios for ischemic stroke occurrence for current, former, and never smokers were calculated via logistic regression models.
The first model was adjusted solely for age, and the second was adjusted for various potential confounding factors.
The odds ratio for current smokers vs never smokers was found to be 1.88. Notably, the results of the study demonstrated a dose-response relationship based on the number of cigarettes smoked, with odds ratios ranging from 1.46 for those who smoked less than 11 cigarettes per day to 5.66 for those who smoked at least 40 cigarettes per day.
In light of these findings, the researchers emphasized in their conclusion that, “although complete smoking cessation is the goal, even smoking fewer cigarettes may reduce the risk of ischemic stroke in young men.”
—Christina Vogt
Reference:
Markidan J, Cole JW, Cronin CA, et al. Smoking and risk of ischemic stroke in young men Stroke. 2018;49(4). https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.117.018859
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