Smokers getting strokes at younger age than non-smokers: study
Posted Oct 3, 2011 08:26:37 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – A Canadian study suggests smokers have strokes or mini-strokes at a younger age than non-smokers.
The study found smokers were almost a decade younger when they were referred to an Ottawa clinic for treatment than non-smokers.
The smokers who were referred to the clinic were an average age of 58, compared to an average age of 67 for non-smokers.
Dr. Mike Sharma, a neurologist at Ottawa Hospital, said he was surprised to find the smokers were suffering strokes about a decade younger than non-smokers.
Sharma said smoking is linked to a hardening and narrowing of the arteries, but the risk of stroke will decline over time if someone quits smoking.
The study, conducted from January 2009 to March of this year, involved 718 non-smokers and 264 smokers who’d had a stroke or mini-stroke.
The findings were released Monday as the Canadian Stroke Congress got underway in Ottawa.
