Smoking remains one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In fact, the risk of ischemic stroke is doubled in smokers and the risk of myocardial infarction is tripled.
“In France, more than 250,000 hospitalizations and 17,000 deaths from cardiovascular diseases are directly attributable to smoking each year,” notes Public Health France.
Quitting cigarettes is therefore essential. But cardiovascular risk does not disappear overnight. How long does it take to reach the level of non-smokers?
To find out, researchers from Ansan Hospital at Korea University (South Korea) used the Korean national health insurance database over a period from 2006 to 2019.
That’s the data of more than 5 million people. The study followed three distinct groups: active smokers (15.8%), ex-smokers (1.9%) and non-smokers (82.2%).
From 10 to… 25 years old
Result: ex-smokers who smoked a pack a day for less than 8 years experienced a significant reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease within 10 years, ultimately reaching a level similar to that of non-smokers.
On the other hand, for those who smoked for more than eight years, it was necessary to wait more than 25 years for the residual risk of cardiovascular disease to disappear.
When reading these results, two observations emerge:
1. the importance of stopping smoking early to limit the accumulation of long-term cardiovascular risks.
2. The importance, for health professionals, of considering those who have smoked more than one pack per day for more than 8 years as having a cardiovascular risk equivalent to that of still active smokers. And this for optimal care.
