Tobacco.org

Marijuana may up heart attack, stroke risk 

Heavy marijuana use can boost blood levels of a particular protein, perhaps raising a person's risk of a heart attack or stroke, U.S. government researchers said on Tuesday.

Dr. Jean Lud Cadet of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, said the findings point to another example of long-term harm from marijuana. But marijuana activists expressed doubt about the findings.

Jump to full article »

Magnesium May Lower Risk for Some Strokes in Male Smokers 

Increased consumption of magnesium-rich foods such as whole grains may reduce male smokers' risk of cerebral infarction, which occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked, a new Swedish study suggests.

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm analyzed the diets and other health/lifestyle habits and characteristics of 26,556 Finnish men, aged 50 to 69, who smoked but had never had a stroke. During an average of 13.6 years of follow-up, 2,702 of the men had cerebral infarctions, 383 had intracerebral hemorrhages (bleeding into the brain tissue), 196 had subarachnoid hemorrhages (bleeding between the brain and the tissues that cover it), and 84 had unspecified types of strokes.

Jump to full article »

Smoking, high blood pressure 'deadly' 

SMOKING and high blood pressure are a deadly combination that dramatically increase the risk of a blood vessel bursting inside the brain, Australian research shows.

High blood pressure and smoking are known to increase the risk of heart diseases, but Sydney researchers have shown that the two have a stronger, "synergistic effect" when both are present.

A study by the George Institute for International Health in Sydney found that smokers with high blood pressure are significantly more likely to suffer from a hemorrhagic stroke - a type of "bleeding" stroke where a blood vessel bursts and bleeds in the brain - than non-smokers with blood pressure problems.

Jump to full article »

• Smoking Is Major Risk Factor For Stroke In China, Study Shows 

Smoking is a major risk factor for stroke in China, accounting for about one in seven strokes in men, researchers reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

"This study shows that smoking prevention and cessation could be an important approach to reducing the societal burden of stroke," said Jiang He, M.D., Ph.D., senior author of the study.

Many studies in western populations have shown that cigarette smoking is a strong and independent risk factor for stroke. But the relationship between cigarette smoking and stroke hasn't been well-studied in Asian populations -- including China, where stroke is the second leading cause of death.

Jump to full article »

Smoking And High Blood Pressure: Double Blow For Bleeding Stroke Risk 

Smoking may exacerbate the increased risk of a blood vessel bursting inside the brain (intracerebral stroke) already faced by people with high blood pressure, according to a new study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

"Smoking and high blood pressure both increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Since we found that these two risk factors have a synergistic effect, quitting smoking and lowering blood pressure will contribute more to preventing stroke than if this previously unreported interaction is ignored," said Koshi Nakamura, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the study.

Jump to full article »

• Age-Related Macular Degeneration Doubles Heart Attack and Stroke Risk Eye disease carries same risk as other circulatory problems, experts say 

People suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have twice the risk of dying from heart attack or stroke, Australian researchers report.

The degenerative eye disease is the most common cause of untreatable blindness among older adults in developed countries and affects the center of the retina at the back of the eye, which is essential for tasks such as reading and driving. .. .

"While AMD, particularly in its late stage, occurs in people of relatively older ages, it may be associated with an increased vascular risk," Mitchell said. "This could, in part, reflect shared risk factors such as smoking."

One expert noted that because AMD is a vascular problem, it is not surprising that it is associated with increased cardiovascular risk.

"Age-related macular degeneration and atherosclerotic vascular share common risk factors that include hypertension, hyperlipidemia and smoking," said Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

In addition, systemic inflammation may increase the risk of AMD and atherosclerosis, Fonarow said.

Jump to full article »

• More Risk Factors, Less Access to Care Behind Higher Stroke Rates in U.S. 

A higher rate of risk factors and more barriers to health care may be among the reasons why stroke is more common in the United States than in Europe, a new study suggests.

Researchers examined 2004 data on 13,667 people in the United States and 30,120 people in 11 European countries, and found that American men were 61 percent more likely to suffer a stroke than European men, and American women were almost twice as likely as European women to have a stroke.

"Most of this gap [in stroke risk] is among relatively poor Americans who were, in our data, much more likely to have a stroke than poor Europeans, whereas the gap in stroke prevalence is less marked between rich Americans and rich Europeans," study author Mauricio Avendano, a research fellow in public health at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, said in a prepared statement. . . .

"Many risk factors for stroke, including blood pressure and smoking, have generally increased among women but remained stable among men," Avendano said. "This may explain why the gap in stroke prevalence between men and women is less marked than before. In fact, in some age groups and populations such as France, women may have higher prevalence of stroke than men." . . .

The study was presented Friday at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference, in New Orleans.

Jump to full article »

• Heart and Stroke Death Rates Steadily Decline; Risks Still Too High 

In an appropriate prelude to American Heart Month, which is just ahead in February, new mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that, since 1999, coronary heart disease and stroke age-adjusted death rates are down by 25.8 percent and 24.4 percent, respectively. This means that the American Heart Association's 2010 strategic goal for reducing deaths from coronary heart disease has been achieved, and for stroke nearly achieved - ahead of time. However, potential problems loom for the future, as all of the major risk factors for these leading causes of death are still too high and several are actually on the rise. If this trend continues, death rates could begin to rise again in years ahead.

In 1999, the American Heart Association set a strategic goal of reducing the death rates from coronary heart disease and stroke, and reducing the risk factors for these diseases by 25 percent by 2010. The new CDC data notes early success in meeting the coronary heart disease death rate goal, and shows that success is near for the 25 percent reduction in stroke. However, American Heart Association president Dan Jones, M.D., said the victory could be short-lived if the risk factors that lead to heart disease and stroke are not also reduced. . . .

Among those practice measures making a difference is better control of blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both with lifestyle change and with medications. In addition, a variety of strategies to reduce smoking in this country have made a difference, including tobacco excise taxes, clean indoor air legislation and smoking cessation efforts. But not everyone is receiving the proven medicines and treatments that save lives.

Jump to full article »

Butt out for national non-smoking week 

Did you resolve to quit smoking in the New Year, but need a push to put out that cigarette? This year's National Non-smoking Week, from Jan 21 to 27 is the perfect time to follow through on your New Year's resolution and start on the path to a healthier heart. As well as causing damage you can feel in your lungs, smoking also has "silent" effects on your body. Smoking contributes to the build-up of plaque in your arteries, increases the risk of blood clots, reduces the oxygen in your blood, increases your blood pressure and makes your heart work harder. Smoking also nearly doubles the risk of strokes caused by blood clots. However, once you become smoke-free and avoid exposure to second-hand smoke, you will immediately reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke:

Jump to full article »

Star of Anti-Smoking Campaign Still Puffs 

Legault insisted that his appearance in the ads is not hypocritical, because he never claims he quit smoking. "I don't feel like a hypocrite, because I'm not telling people what to do. I'm not telling them not to smoke. I'm just showing them what happens."

What's happened to Legault since he started smoking at the age of 8 has been a long decline in health. After suffering two heart attacks in his late 20s, he had a stroke in 1993, which forced him to stop working, and at least seven blood clots that led doctors to amputate his lower leg due to gangrene.

"I'd love to walk again, and I'll never be able to do that. Just walk down the street holding hands with someone."

Jump to full article »

• Officials: smoking star makes ads better 

Although he has been smoking since age 8, Skip Legault vows to quit someday.

State health officials said Friday they knew the star of their graphic, gut-wrenching, anti-smoking ads still smoked - and insisted it only added to their campaign's power.

Skip Legault, whose tales of multiple heart attacks, surgeries, strokes and an amputated right leg are the centerpiece of new TV and print ads, admitted in an exclusive Daily News interview Friday he still smokes half a pack of cigarettes a day.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines said the print spot - which reads, "Cigarette smoking is killing Skip Legault, don't let it kill you" - subtly acknowledges Legault still smokes.

"It's very powerful to know he smokes - it increases the power of the message we're trying to give," Daines said.

Legault's status as a smoker may come out in one of two upcoming spots the department is producing, officials said.

Jump to full article »

7online.com: Anti-smoking poster boy still puffing away?  

He's had multiple heart attacks, a stroke and an amputation, but Skip Legault is still a smoker.

The one-legged poster boy for New York's anti-smoking campaign, who describes his blood clots and the smell of his rotting foot in a TV commercial, has apparently been unable to kick the habit. . . .

He says his doctors plead with him to quit, but he continues to smoke, in part because of fears that quitting will fatally alter the effects of the 13 medications he takes daily.

"I know I'm sick," he told the Daily News. "I know how sick I am. I know I could die today. If people knew how bad cigarettes are, maybe they wouldn't do it."

Jump to full article »

Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2008 Update. A Report From the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee  

Jump to full article »

Group says heart and stroke deaths fall in U.S.  

Death rates from heart disease and stroke are falling in the United States but heart and artery disease remains the leading cause of death, the American Heart Association said on Monday.

An estimated 869,724 people died from heart disease in 2004, compared to 911,163 in 2003, the Heart Association said.

Cancer was the second-biggest killer, taking 553,888 lives in 2004. Stroke, when considered separately from other cardiovascular diseases, was the third leading killer, taking 150,074 lives. . . .

"Although we have made some substantial strides in understanding the causes of cardiovascular disease, the data in this publication show that we have a long way to go to capture people's attention and to implement the prevention and treatment programs we need," added Lloyd-Jones, who works at Northwestern University in Chicago. . . .

More than 46 million Americans smoke daily and about 4,000 teenagers aged 12 to 17 begin smoking every day.

Jump to full article »

• Prolonged Use Of Swedish Moist Snuff Increases Risk Of Fatal Cardiovascular Disease And Stroke 

A new doctoral thesis from the Department of Environmental Medicine at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet demonstrates that consumers of Swedish moist snuff a smokeless tobacco called 'snus' run a higher risk of dying from cardiac arrest and stroke. Snus also increases the risk of high blood pressure, a known factor of cardiovascular disease.

The use of snus has increased markedly in Sweden in the past few decades, so much so that it now accounts for half of all tobacco consumption in the country. Over 20 per cent of men between the ages of 18 and 79 are daily users. Consumers of snus absorb as much nicotine as smokers but are spared many of the toxic chemicals that are formed on smoking.

Although snus does not seem to increase the risk of myocardial infarction, one of the studies reported on in this doctoral thesis shows that its consumers run a 30 per cent (approximately) higher risk of fatal heart attack than people who have never used the product.

Jump to full article »