Researchers with the Jackson Heart Study found that African Americans who smoke are at a higher risk for stroke than those who have never smoked.
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The study shows that African Americans who smoke increase their risk of dying from a stroke nearly two and a half times that of non-smokers. The study also finds that African Americans are already twice as likely as Whites to have a stroke and die from it. Dr. Adebamike Oshunbade is the lead author of the study. He says the study divided participants into light smokers and high intensity smokers who use 20 cigarettes per day or more. Dr. Oshunbade says when African Americans smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day, the risk only increases, saying "the more you smoke, the more you stroke."
"Smoking predisposes to greater risk of developing a stroke, and when you smoke more than a pack a day, the risk only increases. So there is a direct response with the risk of stroke and the normal [amounts] of cigarettes you smoke in a day," says Dr. Oshunbade.
The study focuses on African Americans because of the high risk of stroke in that community due to comorbid conditions such as hypertension. Dr Oshunbade says "Knowing that cigarette smoking is actually a risk for the development of stroke, that relationship between cigarette smoking and strokes in African Americans that represent a vulnerable group in this country has actually been largely understudied." He says the study worked around those external health factors to conclude the increased risk of stroke due to smoking.
African Americans who quit smoking saw low rates of stroke at non-significantly different rates than those who have never smoked. The study also concluded that ceasation of smoking could lower the risk of stroke. Dr. Oshunbade says while they do know that quitting smoking can lower the risk, there is still insufficent data on how long it takes to lower the risk of stroke from the time of quitting smoking.
Dr. Oshunbade says he would like to see public health initiatives change to address these findings. "The public health initiatives should be directed at African Americans because they remain a vulnerable group who lives in this country. You know, even if it’s warning labels that make people know that actually, African Americans are very much more predisposed to stroke when they smoke. So we want to build up on previous public health initiatives that the message will be passed across. The more you smoke, the more you stroke."