A population based, longitudinal study that investigated cardiovascular disease events and morality endpoints among white and African American adults older than 45 years of age, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, has found that second hand smoke may increase the risk of stroke by around 30 per cent, in non smokers.
The researchers found that even after adjustment for other stroke factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, the 30 per cent stroke risk for non smokers remained. The study included almost 22,000 participants, with 23 per cent reporting secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in the past year. 428 strokes were reported in the period of April 2003 to March 2012.
Lead author Angela Malek of the Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston said, “Our findings suggest the possibility for adverse health outcomes such as stroke among nonsmokers exposed to SHS and add to the body of evidence supporting stricter smoking regulations.”
“Future research will need to investigate the role of cardiovascular disease risk factors in the association and explore potential exposure to additional environmental variables, such as ambient air pollutants, in relation to stroke.”
