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 .
Haematological prognostic indices after myocardial infarction: evidence from the diet and reinfarction trial (DART).
Data from the Diet and Reinfa rct ion Trial were examined to check the prognostic effects of plasma fibrinogen , plasma viscosity , white blood cell count , haemoglobin and mean platelet volume in 92 deaths among 1755 men who had recently recovered from acute myocardial infa rct ion . All these variables were significantly associated with all-cause mortality over the following 18 months ( haemoglobin negatively , the others positively ) . Those who gave up smoking following their infa rct had a lower mortality than those who continued to smoke ( 4.1 % and 7.9 % respectively ) , and this effect appeared to be mediated by fibrinogen levels . Smoking habit accounted for only part of the prognostic effect of fibrinogen and white blood cell count . Haematological variables have an important prognostic significance after myocardial infa rct ion . Cessation of smoking after myocardial infa rct ion is worthwhile and has a favourable effect on plasma fibrinogen
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 .