Smokers, especially those who begin young, are three times more likely to die prematurely

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-10/aha-set102320.php

 

News Release 28-Oct-2020
Journal of the American Heart Association report
American Heart Association

 

Current smokers faced nearly three times the risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease compared with people who never smoked, with the risk being higher among those who began smoking during childhood, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

Smoking continues to cause an estimated 100,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease every year in the U.S. Currently, there are about 25 million people who smoke daily including 5 million who became regular smokers before the age of 15.


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    Those who quit smoking by the age of 40 reduced their excess risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease by about 90%.

Quitting smoking at any age offered benefits, and the earlier a person quit, the better, according to the findings. The analysis found that when compared to peers who had never smoked:

    Smokers who quit between ages 15 to 34 had about the same risk of dying from heart disease or stroke;
    Those who quit between ages 35 to 44 had about a 20% higher risk;
    Those who quit between ages 45 to 54 had about a 60% higher risk;
    Those who quit between ages 55 to 64 had about a 70% higher risk of death from heart disease or stroke; and
    Those who were current smokers had nearly three times the risk of dying prematurely from heart disease or stroke.

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