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“
Young
adult smokers are suffering worse heart damage than they realise –
many under 40 showing the first stages of serious heart dysfunction,
says new research. A Warsaw Medical
University study just published in Chest journal* says younger
smokers may appear healthy, but chronic smoking is inflicting a heavy
toll - impairing the heart’s capacity to relax between beats,
leading to reduced pumping capacity. Noting
that there had been little previous research on the effects of smoking
on cardiac function in young adults, the research team used ultrasound
to examine heart function among 66 healthy, slim adult smokers aged 20
to 40 years. 33 had smoked 10-25 cigarettes per day for 6-20 years.
Tests were performed on the smokers after a two-hour non-smoking
period, then repeated immediately after smoking. The
results showed multiple abnormalities among smokers indicating
impairment of relaxation of the left ventricle, the main pumping
chamber of the heart – the first stage of serious heart dysfunction.
Australian
heart health and tobacco-health organisations say the findings show
more needs to be done to reduce youth smoking rates and prevent uptake
by adolescents. Says
Maurice Swanson of the National Heart Foundation: “We need to get
away from the idea that smoking only affects older people. This study
shows it has a dangerous impact on the health of young smokers. “In
Australia, nine out of ten smokers begin smoking while they are still
children. Smoking is not a matter of ‘adult choice’ but routinely
arises from childhood recruitment and addiction. “Bearing
this in mind, governments need to do more to end the promotion of
smoking to children – for example, by passing stronger laws to put
tobacco products out of sight in shops. “Failure
to take such steps will expose our children to preventable heart
damage of the kind demonstrated in this study.” * Lichodziejewska, B
et al in Chest,
April 2007. Why we should protect children from tobacco This was a joint media release by ASH Australia and the National Heart Foundation of Australia Comment:
Media
info: Stafford
Sanders, ASH Australia
ph. (02) 9334-1823; m.
0412-070-194
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