Exposure to secondhand smoke leads to a 35% higher risk of heart failure
Exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with an increased risk of developing heart failure, according to new data scheduled to be presented May 16 at ACC.21, the American College of Cardiology’s 70th annual scientific session.
The researchers found that nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke can have their risk of developing heart failure jump by as much as 35%. This was even true after they accounted for all other risk factors, including a high cholesterol and a history of diabetes.
The risk is even greater for men, the team found; they are more likely than women to develop heart failure at a young age.
“It adds to overwhelming evidence that secondhand smoke is harmful,” lead author Travis Skipina, MD, resident physician in the department of internal medicine at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement. “[Secondhand smoke] has been associated with stroke and heart attacks, but what really hadn’t been reported before was its association with heart failure, which is a very debilitating and costly disease.”
More information on ACC.21 is available here.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.