Chronic Infections
Raise Heart Risk in Smokers
If you have a chronic
infection—such as bronchitis, an ulcer, a urinary tract infection,
or even gum disease—smoking raises your risk of developing
cardiovascular disease.
A new study has found
that smokers with chronic infections were three times as likely
to develop early atherosclerosis—hardening of the arteries
caused by plaque deposits—than smokers without such an infection.
The researchers also found the risk remained high in former smokers.
Even passive or secondhand smoke increased the risk for early atherosclerosis
in people with chronic infections.
"Part of the effects of
smoking are irreversible when chronic infections have emerged, and
smoking risk starts with a few cigarettes per day," says Dr. Stefan
Kiechl, a professor of neurology at Innsbruck University Hospital
in Austria and lead author of the study. The research appeared in
the September issue of Stroke, Journal of the American Heart
Association.
The
Health Impact of Smoking
Nearly 47 million Americans
still smoke cigarettes, and more than 400,000 die every year from
smoking-related diseases, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). Direct medical costs from
smoking top $75 billion annually in this country, the CDC
reports.
Kiechl and his colleagues
examined ultrasound scans of 826 men and women from northern Italy
who were between the ages of 40 and 79. Four hundred and fifty three
had never smoked; 212 were former smokers and 161 were current smokers.
Two ultrasound scans were
taken—one in 1990 and the other in 1995. The scans detailed
the carotid arteries, the main arteries that send blood to the brain.
During the five years, 332 people had new plaque deposits in their
carotid arteries.
Smoking
Raises Health Risks
The more a person smoked—number
of years and number of cigarettes per day—the more likely
they were to develop atherosclerosis, the study found. Interestingly,
the increased risk was only for those who also had a chronic infection.
Smokers with a chronic
infection had 2.9 times the risk for early atherosclerosis, while
past smokers with a chronic infection had a 1.9 times increased
risk. Even nonsmokers who had chronic infections had a 1.8 times
higher risk.
Kiechl says a chronic
infection is one that lasts for three or more months in at least
two consecutive years. So, someone who has five bouts of acute bronchitis
that last a week or two each during a year would not be considered
to have chronic bronchitis.
Smokers who did not have
a chronic infection did not appear to be at any greater risk of
developing early atherosclerosis, according to the study.
Does that mean it is OK
to continue smoking?
Absolutely not, says Kiechl.
Smoking is detrimental to a person's health in many ways. Smokers
are at an increased risk of cancer and many other diseases. "In
addition, the risk of acquiring chronic infections continuously
increased with increasing duration of smoking and age, reaching
near 100 percent in subjects over age 60 with more than 35 years
[of smoking a pack a day]. They should not miss the opportunity
to stop smoking before chronic infections have emerged," Kiechl
says.
Smokers are more susceptible
to chronic infection because the habit impairs the body's ability
to fight infection, explains Dr. Dan Fisher, a cardiologist at New
York University Medical Center.
Fisher says smokers who
already have chronic infections should not be discouraged by this
study's findings. While it appears that the risk for early atherosclerosis
stays high even after quitting, it does go down. And, he says, the
sooner you quit, the sooner you start reducing your risk.
"Smoking increases your
risk of coronary disease dramatically," Fisher says. "I can't say
it enough: Don't smoke."
Always consult your physician
for more information.
Online
Resources
American
Heart Association
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Stroke,
Journal of the American Heart Association
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October 2002
The
Health Impact of Smoking
Smoking
Raises Health Risks
Women
Not Heeding Warnings About Heart Disease
Online
Resources
In Other News About
Your Heart:
Women
Not Heeding Warnings About Heart Disease
"Simple Solutions"
protect women against cardiovascular trouble
Cardiovascular disease
is the leading killer of American women, but women are failing to
take some simple measures to protect themselves.
An American Heart
Association (AHA) survey conducted earlier this year found
that 75 percent of US women do not make healthful choices when it
comes to diet and exercise. Physical inactivity and poor nutrition
contribute to development of cardiovascular disease.
"Studies have shown that
women realize what it takes to reduce their risk for heart disease
and want to reduce that risk, but they often aren't equipped with
the tools they need to help them do so," says Dr. Rose Marie Robertson,
director of the Vanderbilt Women's Heart Institute and AHA
past president.
To help women, the AHA
has launched "Simple Solutions," a free education program to help
women learn how to make lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of
heart disease and stroke. "Simple Solutions" offers a variety of
information, including health recipes and nutrition and exercise
tips.
If you are interested
in enrolling in "Simple Solutions," call the AHA
at 1-888-MY HEART, or go to Simple
Solutions.
Some of the Simple Solutions
tips include:
-
Add a handful of walnuts
and low-fat dressing to your salad in place of cheese, high-fat
salad dressing, and croutons. Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty
acids, which may help reduce your risk of heart disease.
-
When you have a baked
potato, add a tablespoon of low-fat or fat-free sour cream,
which is lower in fat and sodium than margarine. Feel free to
pile on the chives, but pass on the cheese and bacon.
-
Do not go grocery
shopping when you are hungry. Walk around the outside aisles
of the grocery store at least once before you begin to do your
shopping.
-
When you drop the
kids off for soccer practice, get out of your car and walk around
the field while your children play their game.
-
Do outdoor yard work
such as mowing the lawn, or raking leaves or grass.
Always consult your physician
for more information.
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