Smoking-stroke risk highlighted

[Posted: Fri 29/10/2010 by Niall Hunter, Editor www.irishhealth.com]

A new study has shown that smokers are four times more likely to suffer a stroke than non-smokers.

The study coincides with World Stroke Day, which is being held today. There are 15 million strokes per year worldwide, which means that a stroke occurs every two seconds.

The Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has urged smokers to take the chance to change their future by giving up smoking and reducing their risk of stroke.

The more you smoke, the more you stroke study revealed that up to 25% of all strokes are directly attributable to cigarette smoking. This rises to half among young adults who have certain types of strokes caused by blood clots.

Dr Angie Brown of the IHF pointed out that smoking is responsible for up to 2,400 strokes and 500 deaths from stroke in Ireland each year.

"The new study further confirms that this huge toll of death and disability is avoidable even for people who have been smoking for many years as long as they give up. Their fate is in their own hands."

The IHF says if people stop smoking, the risk of stroke begins to fall almost immediately and in most cases can eventually be reduced to that of a non-smoker.

The study from the University of Maryland in the US also showed that exposure to second-hand smoke in the home doubled the risk of stroke.

Visit our Heart Disease Clinic here

Visit the IHF website here

See also www.worldstrokecampaign.ie