{"id":11808,"date":"2016-09-16T08:00:24","date_gmt":"2016-09-16T13:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/?p=11808"},"modified":"2016-09-15T23:40:35","modified_gmt":"2016-09-16T04:40:35","slug":"american-heart-association-says-smoking-may-lead-to-heart-failure-by-thickening-the-heart-wall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/2016\/09\/16\/american-heart-association-says-smoking-may-lead-to-heart-failure-by-thickening-the-heart-wall\/","title":{"rendered":"American Heart Association says Smoking may lead to Heart Failure by thickening the Heart Wall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging Journal Report<\/h2>\n

\"AmericanDallas, TX<\/strong> – Smoking is associated with thicker heart walls and reduction in the heart\u2019s pumping ability, two factors associated with increased risk of heart failure, according to new research in the American Heart Association\u2019s journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging.<\/em><\/p>\n

The study, conducted in participants of average age 75.7 and no obvious signs of cardiovascular disease, also found that higher rates of cumulative cigarette exposure \u2014 measure of how much and how long people have smoked during their lifetime \u2014 were associated with greater heart damage.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The longer and more cigarettes people smoked, the greater the damage to their hearts\u2019 structure and function.<\/p><\/div>\n

Studies have long established that smoking leads to heart attacks and is associated with heart failure even in people without cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

However, none have found a clear mechanism by which tobacco may increase the risk of heart failure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese data suggest that smoking can independently lead to thickening of the heart and worsening of heart function, which may lead to a higher risk for heart failure, even in people who don\u2019t have heart attacks,\u201d said Wilson Nadruz Jr, M.D., Ph.D., lead author of the study and research fellow at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition, the more people smoke, the greater the damage to the heart\u2019s structure and function, which reinforces the recommendations stating that smoking is dangerous and should be stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study examined data from 4,580 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study who underwent an echocardiogram<\/a>. Even after accounting for factors such as age, race, body mass index, blood pressure, diabetes and alcohol consumption, current smokers had thicker heart walls and reduced pumping function, compared with nonsmokers and former smokers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good news is that former smokers had similar heart structure and function compared with never smokers,\u201d said Scott Solomon, M.D., senior study author and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital. \u201cThis suggests that the potential effects of tobacco on the myocardium might be reversible after smoking cessation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other co-authors are Brian Claggett, Ph.D.; Alexandra Gon\u00e7alves, M.D., Ph.D.; Gabriela Querejeta-Roca, M.D.; Miguel M. Fernandes-Silva, M.D., Ph.D.; Amil M. Shah, M.D., M.P.H.; Susan Cheng, M.D., M.P.H.; Hirofumi Tanaka, Ph.D.; Gerardo Heiss, M.D., Ph.D. and Dalane W. Kitzman, M.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.<\/p>\n

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute supported the study.<\/p>\n

Additional Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n