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 .
Stress, social support, and stopping smoking after myocardial infarction in England.
STUDY OBJECTIVE --To examine the effect on mortality of stopping smoking after myocardial infa rct ion and the psychosocial factors that influence the decision to stop . DESIGN -- Analysis of smokers in a large prospect i ve study . Self completed question naires provided information on psychosocial factors . SETTING --Coronary care units at six English hospitals participating in a multicentre clinical trial . SUBJECTS -- These comprised consenting myocardial infa rct ion survivors who had been identified as smokers and who completed question naires within seven days of infa rct at six hospitals participating in the Anglo-Sc and inavian study of early thrombolysis . The 532 patients identified have been followed for over five and a half years . The main outcome measure was five year all cause mortality . MAIN RESULTS --Smokers who stopped within one month showed significantly reduced mortality compared with those who persisted , adjusting for other prognostic indicators ( odds ratio 0.56 , 95 % confidence interval 0.33 , 0.98 ) . Overall , 74 % stopped smoking . Being married , low life stress levels before infa rct , and higher social class were associated with stopping smoking but the differentials were small . Of the clinical variables , a final diagnosis of definite myocardial infa rct ion was associated with stopping smoking . All associations remained after multiple logistic regression . CONCLUSION --Smoking cessation can halve the smokers ' odds of dying after myocardial infa rct ion and psychosocial factors play a small but important role in the important decision to stop smoking . Health professionals should continue to stress the importance of stopping smoking to all patients as there is little evidence to support specific directing of advice to relatively " stress or " socially isolated " groups
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 .