The more you smoke, the greater your risk of a heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation. That’s the finding of a study published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a European Society of Cardiology (ESC) journal (1).
The more you smoke, the greater your risk of a heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation. That’s the finding of a study published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a European Society of Cardiology (ESC) journal (1).
The study found a 14% increase in the risk of atrial fibrillation for every ten cigarettes smoked per day. There was a linear dose-response relationship, meaning that the risk increased with each additional cigarette smoked.
Compared to people who had never smoked, current smokers had a 32% increased risk of atrial fibrillation, while ever smokers (current and former smokers combined) had a 21% increased risk, and former smokers had a 9% increased risk – providing further evidence of a dose-response relationship.
“If you smoke, stop smoking and if you don't smoke, don't start,” said study author Dr Dagfinn Aune, postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College London, UK, and associate professor at Bjørknes University College in Oslo, Norway. “We found that smokers are at increased risk of atrial fibrillation, but the risk is reduced considerably in those who quit.”
Read more at European Society of Cardiology
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