PET imaging shows young smokers quick benefit of quitting

"I believe this is the first PET study that shows abnormal coronary function is reversible after only one month of smoking cessation," said Nagara Tamaki, a professor and chair of the nuclear medicine department at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan. "Smoking cessation normalized abnormal coronary artery function, thus supporting its value in preventing heart disease in young adults," he explained. "In addition, this is an important report with PET imaging that shows abnormal coronary artery function can be measured by coronary blood flow and flow response to cold stimulation (also called 15O-water PET) in healthy young smokers," noted the co-author of "Smoking Cessation Normalizes Coronary Endothelial Vasomotor Response Assessed With 15O-Water and PET in Healthy Young Smokers." Researchers from the Japanese university also noted that improvement was "preserved" six months after the study's subjects stopped smoking, "supporting the value of smoking cessation for prevention of coronary artery disease particularly in the young," said Tamaki.

"This study provided a noninvasive look at the early stages of coronary artery disease in smokers and the recovery time of coronary endothelial dysfunction after giving up cigarettes," indicated Tamaki. Coronary endothelial dysfunction occurs when the heart's blood vessels aren't flexible enough to expand in response to increased blood flow. Smoking can damage the endothelium—the innermost layer of the artery—and over time, plaques can narrow coronary arteries, allowing less blood to flow to the heart muscle. Rupture of these plaques may result in a stroke, heart attack and death.

It's generally known that the risk of death from coronary artery disease is up to six times higher in smokers than in nonsmokers, and about half of all smokers who continue to smoke will end up dying from a smoking-related illness. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for 438,000 deaths annually (about one of every five deaths). Since coronary endothelial dysfunction is both "a significant predictor of cardiovascular events"—and reversible—its early detection is important, said Tamaki. PET—a diagnostic imaging test that measures metabolic activity and generates images of organ or tissue function—"will continue to provide insight into coronary risk analysis and risk management (such as smoking cessation and lowering one's cholesterol)," he added.

In the Hokkaido University study, researchers examined the effects of smoking cessation on coronary endothelial dysfunction in 15 young male adults (in their twenties and thirties) with no other heart diseases or cardiovascular risk factors (other than smoking). The young smokers, who smoked an average of 20 cigarettes a day, agreed to stop for at least six months. Myocardial (heart) blood flow was measured both at rest and during stimulation induced by a cold pressor test by using PET with the oxygen tracer called 15O-water. Additional research is necessary, said Tamaki. "We would like to compare the current information with data from middle-aged smokers to see whether such response after smoking cessation may be seen in an older generation. Also, it would be nice to see the reversibility in young smokers associated with other risk factors, such as diabetes and obesity," he said.

Source: Society of Nuclear Medicine

New study finds smoking predicts increased stroke risk for your spouse
Although Second Hand Smoke (SHS) is widely accepted as a risk factor for coronary heart disease, there have been few studies investigating the association of SHS and stroke risk. In a new study, published in the September 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers report on evidence of increased risk of stroke for spouses of smokers.
Alaskan Eskimos' high rates of artery plaque could be from high smoking
Alaskan Eskimos' significantly higher rates of fatty artery plaque than the general U.S. population may be due to unhealthy lifestyle habits, researchers report in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Scottish smokers to be paid to quit
Smokers in deprived parts of the British city of Dundee are to be paid to kick the habit in an initiative between public health organisations, municipal authorities and the Scottish government.
Much of the increased risk of death from smoking reduced within several years after quitting
Women who quit smoking significantly reduce their risk of death from coronary heart disease within 5 years and have about a 20 percent lower risk of death from smoking-related cancers within that time period, according to a study in the May 7 issue of JAMA.
Smoking and high blood pressure: a double blow for bleeding stroke risk
Smoking may exacerbate the increased risk of a blood vessel bursting inside the brain (intracerebral stroke) already faced by people with high blood pressure, according to a new study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Heart attack rates fall following national smoking bans
French researchers announced a striking 15% decrease in admissions of patients with myocardial infarction to emergency wards since the public ban on smoking came into effect in restaurants, hotels and casinos in France last January. The announcement was made on 23 February by the National Sanitary Institute. Similar results were published in Italy on 12 February by the Environmental Health Authority: researchers in Rome found an 11.2 percent reduction of acute coronary events since the January 2005 smoking ban took effect in Italy.
Smokers Urged to Kick Bad Habit in the Butt
More than 70 percent of all people who light cigarettes actually want to quit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, only 5 percent to 10 percent are successful on any given attempt. As the Great American Smokeout rolls around again this year, a University of Missouri-Columbia respiratory therapist says there are more ways than ever to support smokers who want to kick the habit for good.
New study shows benefits of quitting smoking
Giving up smoking can reduce the risk of dying from the disease by up to 70 percent, new research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology this week shows.

PET imaging shows young smokers quick benefit of quitting

Related stories:

News discussion: