When compared to non-smokers of the same gender, smoking increases the
risk of having any type of stroke by 60 to 80 percent in women and men.
Researchers said the finding is intriguing because other studies have
found strong evidence that smoking conveys a much higher risk of heart
disease -- which shares a common disease process with stroke -- for
women than for men.
Researchers compared data from more than 80 international studies that
were published between 1966 and 2013. They found that smoking is linked
to more than a 50 percent greater risk of ischemic stroke the most
common stroke -- one that's caused by a blood clot- in both men and
women. However, for the more deadly type of stroke -- one that is caused
by a brain bleed, known as a hemorrhagic stroke -- smoking resulted in a
17 percent greater risk in women than in men.
Moreover, compared to men who smoke, the risk for women who smoke was
about 10 percent higher in Western countries -- possibly reflecting a
greater cumulative exposure to smoking -- than in Asian countries.
The study also found evidence that men and women who smoke can significantly reduce their stroke risk by quitting smoking.
Researchers suggested that the greater risk for bleeding stroke among
women might be due to hormones and how nicotine impacts blood fats. It
seems that fats, cholesterol and triglycerides increase to a greater
extent in women who smoke compared with men who smoke, increasing their
risk for coronary heart disease to a greater extent than in male
smokers.
"Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for stroke for both men and
women, but fortunately, quitting smoking is a highly effective way to
lower your stroke risk," said Rachel Huxley, lead author of the study
and Professor, School of Population Health, University of Queensland, in
Brisbane, Australia. "Tobacco control policies should be a mainstay of
primary stroke prevention programs."
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