REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS Quitting smoking is associated with a substantial reduction in risk of all-cause mortality among patients with CHD .
This 36 % risk reduction appears substantial compared with other secondary preventive therapies such as cholesterol lowering which have received greater attention in recent years .
The risk reduction associated with quitting smoking seems consistent regardless of differences between the studies in terms of index cardiac events , age , sex , country , and time period .
BACKGROUND Although the importance of smoking as a risk factor for coronary heart disease is beyond doubt , the speed and magnitude of risk reduction when a smoker with coronary heart disease quits are still subjects of debate .
OBJECTIVES To estimate the magnitude of risk reduction when a patient with CHD stops smoking .
Effect of smoking habits and timolol treatment on mortality and reinfarction in patients surviving acute myocardial infarction.
The Norwegian Multicenter Group Study noted the effect of smoking habits before and after myocardial infa rct ion and their relation to mortality and reinfa rct ion rate after treatment with timolol in patients surviving acute myocardial infa rct ion . The mean follow up period was 17.3 ( range 12 - 33 ) months . No relation was found between initial smoking habits and risk category after infa rct ion or between initial smoking habits and later outcome . At the time of their first infa rct smokers were seven years younger than non-smokers . One moth after infa rct ion nearly 60 % of the smokers had stopped smoking completely . A significantly lower incidence of early cardiac death and lower total mortality was found in patients treated with timolol  in both those who continued smoking and in the combined non-smoking groups and a significantly lower reinfa rct ion rate among non-smokers . Cessation of smoking alone was associated with a reduced reinfa rct ion rate by 45 % but a non-significant reduction in mortality by 26 % . It is concluded that treatment with timolol and cessation of smoking have an additive effect in reducing mortality and reinfa rct ion rate after myocardial infa rct ion
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS Quitting smoking is associated with a substantial reduction in risk of all-cause mortality among patients with CHD .
This 36 % risk reduction appears substantial compared with other secondary preventive therapies such as cholesterol lowering which have received greater attention in recent years .
The risk reduction associated with quitting smoking seems consistent regardless of differences between the studies in terms of index cardiac events , age , sex , country , and time period .
BACKGROUND Although the importance of smoking as a risk factor for coronary heart disease is beyond doubt , the speed and magnitude of risk reduction when a smoker with coronary heart disease quits are still subjects of debate .
OBJECTIVES To estimate the magnitude of risk reduction when a patient with CHD stops smoking .