How Smoking Dramatically Raises the Risk of Stroke

 

IQOS HEETS DUBAI  There’s a lot that scientists already know about stroke risk for Black Americans.

Blacks, for example, are nearly twice as likelyTrusted Source as whites to have a stroke and die from it.

However, researchers say there has been little data on what role smoking plays in stroke risk for Black Americans.iqos dubai

Now, a new studyTrusted Source published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has some answers.

The research, partially funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), concluded that the risk of stroke may more than double for Black Americans who smoke.iqos uae

Researchers add the risk gets higher with the number of cigarettes that are smoked.

“The more you smoke, the more you stroke,” said Dr. Adebamike Oshunbade, MPH, the study’s lead author and postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “If you smoke more than a pack a day, your risk is even greater.”

The study by the numbers

The research team used data from participants in the Jackson Heart Study, the largest study in the United States looking at cardiovascular risk factors in Black Americans.iqos heets uae

Of the group they evaluated, 546 participants were current smokers. Another 781 were past smokers and 3,083 had never smoked.

After accounting for other risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, age, and high cholesterol, the researchers found that the stroke risk was 2.5 times higher for current smokers compared with people who never smoked.

Researchers also found the risk was “dose dependent.” For those who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day, their stroke risk was 2.8 times greater.

However, the scientists found there was no significant difference between smokers who had quit and people who had never smoked. The researchers say that suggests smoking cessation may have potential benefits in reducing the incidence of stroke in Black Americans.iqos heets uae

“It’s important to communicate the risk to vulnerable populations, especially with the growing popularity of new tobacco products,” Oshunbade told Healthline. “More public enlightenment campaigns should be geared toward warning African Americans about this modifiable risk.”

Ultrasound imaging tests also showed fatty plaque buildup in the carotid arteries leading to the brains of Black Americans.iqos heets uae

“We found accelerated buildup of fatty plaques in some of the major blood vessels of the brains of smokers, which could play a role in the development of stroke among African Americans,” Oshunbade explained.