This could be a sign of heart disease in smokers

Smoking has long been linked to a wide variety of health problems. While it used to not be the case, today adolescents and adults are well aware of the negative side effects of this habit that has been linked to diseases such as cancer, diabetes, lung disease, and more.

A new study shows that stroke could be one of the first signs of heart disease in smokers. The researchers also found that cardiovascular disease was the leading deleterious effect in smokers.

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The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, was conducted by researchers who wanted to raise awareness of the risk of cardiovascular disease when smoking.

“There is often more awareness and concern about cancer as a result of smoking than about heart disease. Therefore, we wanted to better define the risks of smoking associated with different types of cardiovascular disease and especially cardiovascular death, ”said lead study author Sadiya S. Kahn, MD.

The study included data from over 106,165 adults in the United States, ages 29 to 79, who were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. Participants were organized by smoking status and gender, with the researchers finding a variety of results that were surprising at just how strong the link is between smoking and cardiovascular disease.

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Some results suggest that middle-aged women who smoke are twice as likely to develop deadly cardiovascular disease as non-smokers. In men, smokers had a 10% higher risk of cardiovascular disease than non-smokers. There was also evidence that younger smokers were more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than non-smokers, with risks increasing the longer people smoke.

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There is ample evidence that smoking is bad for your health, especially if it is practiced for a long period of time. While smoking is addicting and difficult to quit, increasing evidence suggests that the sooner your body is done it, the sooner it is done, from lung health to heart health.