According to research about the effects of smoking on people, women smokers, especially under the age of 50 are at a higher risk of major heart attack than their male counterparts.
Statistics say heart diseases are the major cause of death among men and women worldwide, at the rank of one. Additionally, acute ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) is among the most life-threatening forms of heart disease.
STEMI is often times called the major heart attack. It is usually caused by a complete blockage of one of the main coronary arteries.
The research in question was lead by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Sheffield. It was conducted to assess smoking as an independent risk factor for STEMI and determine the differences in risk between age groups and genders.
The research concluded that smoking caused an increase in risk of STEMI in all patients irrespective of their age, gender. However, the risk for women was higher compared to men.
The largest relative risk difference between men and women smokers was in the 50-64 years old group, but the highest risk increase in both genders was in the 18-49 years group the youngest group, the research found.
“Our study found that smoking cessation, regardless of age or gender, reduces STEMI risk to that of a never smoker, possibly within a month,” said Ever Grech from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease and consultant interventional cardiologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
“Patients who smoke merit encouragement to give up their habit, and this study adds quantitative evidence to the massive benefits of doing so,” Grech said.
For the first time, this study provides a numerical hazard which specifically focuses on the cardiac risks of smoking in a way that is much easier to understand, Grech said.
“I hope this will not only correct the perception in young smokers that heart attack risks arise much later in life, but also publicise the real dangers of smoking in a contemporary population,” Grech added.
The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology which ranks among the top cardiovascular journals in the world for its scientific impact.
