A new study, presented at ESC Congress 2012 by Professor Furio Colivicchi from San Filippo Neri Hospital, patients who continue smoking after a stroke have a three times higher chance of death. Research also suggests that the earlier patients start smoking again, the greater risk of death with one year.
Professor Colivicchi explained:
“It is well established that smoking increases the risk of having a stroke. Quitting smoking after an acute ischemic stroke may be more effective than any medication in reducing the risk of further adverse events. However, on the other hand, our study shows that stroke patients resuming active smoking after leaving the hospital can raise their risk of dying by as much as three-fold.”
In order to identify the impact resuming smoking has after a stroke, and to see how many patients are likely to relapse, a team of cardiologists from S. Filippo Neri Hospital in Rome, along with neurologists from the Santa Lucia Foundation of Rome observed 921 patients (337 women and 584 men with a mean age of 67 ± 16 years) who reported being regular smokers before they were hospitalized with acute ischemic stroke.
While in the hospital, each patient stopped smoking and said they would continue to refrain from tobacco once they left the hospital. Brief smoking cessation counseling sessions were given to all patients during their hospital stay, however, no nicotine replacement or any other help abstaining from cigarettes was given to the patients once they left.
Researchers interviewed the patients regarding their smokings status at one, six, and twelve months after they were released from the hospital and at the end of the first year.
Results showed that 493 (53%) patients had started smoking regularly again after one year, and that older patients and women were more likely to relapse.
A total of 89 patients died within the first year, which equals to a one-year probability of death of 9.6%.
The team adjusted for factors, for example, patient ages and other clinical variables, such as presences of diabetes, stroke severity, coronary artery disease, and hypertension.
Authors found that a person’s risk of death was increased three times for patients who resumed smoking, compared to those who did not relapse. In other words, the quicker the patients start smoking again, the higher the chance he or she has to die within a year.
“In fact, those who resumed smoking within 10 days of leaving the hospital were five times more likely to die within a year than those who continued to abstain,” revealed Professor Colivicchi.
He concluded:
“The results of this study suggest that healthcare providers should take smoking cessation interventions more seriously, as recommended treatments are not making their way into practice. A successful programme to help stroke patients quit smoking should take a comprehensive long-term approach, including individual counseling, post-discharge support and pharmacological treatment.”
Written by Sarah Glynn