International scientists say it can take more than 25 years for the heart health of heavy smokers to return to normal after they quit, but a light smoker's heart health returns to normal within a decade of quitting. The team looked at data for 5.3 million current smokers, ex-smokers and people who never smoked, following up for an average of just over four years. The findings suggest doctors should consider patients who are ex-heavy smokers to have the same risk of heart issues as people who still smoke, the authors conclude.
Journal/conference: JAMA Network Open
Research: Paper
Organisation/s: Korea University Ansan Hospital, South Korea
Smoking Cessation and Incident Cardiovascular Disease
About The Study: In this cohort study, smoking and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk exhibited a dose-dependent association, with light ex-smokers having a CVD risk similar to that of never-smokers relatively soon after smoking cessation. For heavy ex-smokers, greater than 25 years might be required for the residual CVD risk to align with that of never-smokers.
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