Number of Cigarettes Smoked Daily Tied to Stroke Risk

HealthDay News — There is a strong dose-response relationship between the number of cigarettes smoked daily and ischemic stroke risk among men younger than 50 years of age, according to a study published online April 19 in Stroke.

Janina Markidan, from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues examined the dose-response relationship between the quantity of cigarettes smoked and the odds of developing an ischemic stroke in adult men under age 50 years in a study with 615 cases and 530 controls.

The researchers found that the odds ratio (OR) for the current smoking group was 1.88 versus never smokers. When the current smoking group was categorized by number of cigarettes smoked, a dose-response relationship emerged, with the OR ranging from 1.46 for <11 cigarettes per day to 5.66 for ≥40 cigarettes per day.

“Although complete smoking cessation is the goal, even smoking fewer cigarettes may reduce the risk of ischemic stroke in young men,” the authors write.

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