Sunday August 14, 2022 – Author:
dr
Even after your first heart attack, it’s still worth quitting smoking. The risk of another heart attack or stroke can be reduced by a third. This is shown by a current meta-study by the science network Cochrane.
Stop smoking? “It doesn’t matter now anyway,” some smokers then answer, resigned to fate. That’s not true. A current study by the international science network Cochrane shows that even after a first heart attack, it is still worth giving up smoking. This reduces the risk of another heart attack or stroke by around a third.
Tobacco smoking: cause of every tenth death
More than a third of all deaths in Germany are due to cardiovascular diseases (cardiovascular disease, CVD), which manifest themselves in particular in the form of heart attacks and strokes. In addition to diet, smoking is one of the most important risk factors for CVD that can be influenced. It is estimated that tobacco smoking is responsible for around one in ten deaths from CVD.
“There it is never too late to quit smokingAccording to a statement from Cochrane Germany. “Like the risk of lung cancer, the cardiovascular risk also drops significantly after you stop smoking.” The fact that this is still worthwhile even if you have already had a heart attack is proven by the evidence from the recently published Cochrane Review with the Title “Smoking cessation for secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases”. The meta-study was created on the basis of 68 studies with a total of more than 80,000 participants.
Quitting smoking benefits health and quality of life
The key findings of the review: People with coronary artery disease who quit smoking are likely to reduce their risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke and dying from it by around one-third.
Many smokers love their vice and fear a loss of subjective quality of life if they quit. This concern was not confirmed in the eight studies that tracked the quality of life endpoint for at least six months. In fact, the study participants who decided to stop smoking actually felt slightly better in the long term than those who continued to smoke.
“Our results demonstrate that the risk of secondary CVD events decreases in those who quit smoking compared to those who continue smoking, and that quality of life improves as a result of smoking cessation,” the authors conclude.
Stop smoking: The regeneration of the body begins immediately
The body does not forgive a smoker immediately. But he’s recovering from the noxious quest faster than many realize. “Consistently quitting smoking is worthwhile just a short time after the last cigarette,” according to health information from the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA).
The lungs clear themselves within a few months
Part of the success can already be felt in the body within the first hours, days and weeks: the circulation is more stable, breathing is much easier during physical exertion. Within eight hours, the carbon monoxide is no longer blocking the red blood cells – oxygen can dock again. After just 24 hours, the risk of a heart attack decreases slightly. After 48 hours, the nerve endings in the mouth and nose begin to regenerate – you can smell and taste better again. The lungs clear themselves within a few months. The congestion in the respiratory tract decreases noticeably. Experts assume that even in old age, quitting smoking can still make up a lifetime – ideally even years.