Key result
Past-year smoking linked to ~14% lower in-hospital mortality versus nonsmokers in CAD and AIS.
Why the study?
Smoking is a potent risk factor for CAD and AIS, but reports of lower in-hospital mortality among smokers hospitalized for these events raise uncertainty about this paradox.
Does past-year smoking affect in-hospital mortality in patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease or acute ischemic stroke?
Observational (n=1,057,349)
Yes
Does past-year smoking affect in-hospital mortality in patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease or acute ischemic stroke?
Odds Ratio: 0.86
Absolute Event Rate: 2.7% vs 5.2%
p-value: p=<0.0001
The 'smoking paradox' of lower in-hospital mortality among smokers with CAD or AIS is largely explained by age and other covariates, though a persistent association remains likely due to residual confounding.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Apparent lower mortality among smokers with CAD or AIS largely reflects confounding; leaves open whether residual association is causal or unmeasured bias.
Ali et al. (2015) conducted an observational in Coronary Artery Disease or Acute Ischemic Stroke (n=1,057,349). Smoking vs. Nonsmokers was evaluated on In-hospital mortality (OR 0.86, p=<0.0001). Past-year smoking was associated with lower in-hospital mortality compared to nonsmokers in both CAD (2.7% vs 5.2%) and AIS (3.5% vs 5.8%) cohorts, with an adjusted OR of 0.86 for both.