Key result
Current smoking is linked to ~158% higher stroke risk that largely resolves four years after quitting.
Why the study?
Does smoking cessation reduce the risk of incident stroke in middle-aged women?
Population
117,006 female registered nurses aged 30 to 55 years, free of coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer at…
Comparison
Smoking cessation (former smokers) vs Current smokers and never smokers
Design
Cohort
Follow-up
12 years
Authors
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May support cessation counseling in middle-aged women; extends observational data but leaves causal confirmation open.
Cohort (n=117,006)
Does smoking cessation reduce the risk of incident stroke in middle-aged women?
Relative Risk: 2.58 (95% CI 2.08–3.19)
Smoking cessation in middle-aged women leads to a rapid decline in stroke risk, with the excess risk largely disappearing within 2 to 4 years.
I. Kawachi (1993) conducted a cohort in Healthy (free of coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer) (n=117,006). Current smoking vs. Never smokers was evaluated on Incident strokes (fatal and nonfatal) (RR 2.58, 95% CI 2.08-3.19). Current smoking increased stroke risk compared with never smoking (RR 2.58; 95% CI 2.08-3.19), while the excess risk among former smokers largely disappeared 2 to 4 years after cessation.
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