Early heart attack from smoking in youth

Smoking in adolescence damages the blood vessels and increases the risk of heart attack

09/02/2014

Smoking is the main risk factor for an early heart attack, as even adolescents severely damage their vessels through tobacco consumption, according to the Communication of the German Society of Cardiology (DGK) at the European Cardiology Congress (ESC) in Barcelona. At the meeting of the European Society of Cardiology several studies were presented, which prove the dangerous effects of cigarettes for cardiovascular health, the DGK reports.

For example „A recent analysis of data from the Berlin Heart Attack Registry showed that more than three quarters of people who had a heart attack before their 55th birthday were smokers“, so the message of the professional society. The study author Professor Heinz P. Theres of the Charité Berlin emphasized that „According to our data smoking is the most important risk factor for an early myocardial infarction“ is. This is also reflected in the fact that the proportion of smokers in heart attack patients under the age of 55 has not decreased since 1999.

Smoking, high blood pressure and elevated blood lipid levels are risk factors
As part of the Berlin study, researchers have evaluated the data of the existing since 1999 Berlin heart attack register and thereby „For a total of more than 6,000 heart attack patients, three major cardiac risk factors (smoking, high blood pressure, and unfavorable blood lipid levels) are set in proportion to age“, reports the DGK. In total, people who had already suffered a heart attack before the age of 55 were 76 percent smoker and 94 percent had at least one of the three risk factors. This illustrates the impact of tobacco use and other risk factors on heart health.

Smoking damages the blood vessels during adolescence
Another study presented at the European Congress of Cardiology shows that smoking adversely affects the vessels as early as adolescence. The Schweitzer study investigates the smoking behavior of adolescents from the age of 13 years (mean age of the subjects 17 years). Among other things, the blood pressure was regularly measured and the researchers examined various parameters of vascular function. „14 percent of adolescents were weekly smokers, more than half of their parents smoked (28 percent) or had smoked (25 percent)“, reports the German Society for Cardiology in its press release. Overall, the investigation „a clear correlation between smoking and impaired vascular function“ identified.

Long-term impact of juvenile smoking on the vascular health
Dr. Julia Dratva from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel comes to the conclusion in the DGK press release that „the analyzes hypothesize early changes in vascular function through active smoking in adolescence independent of parental smoking behavior“ to confirm. Although the analysis is limited by the relatively small number of smokers considered, but the „Objectification of smoking status by means of serum cotinine“ strengthen the results. The Swiss researcher emphasized that the current study results „suggest a long-term importance of adolescent smoking for vascular health and underscore the need for early prevention of smoking in childhood and adolescence.“ (Fp)