Researchers studied 902 heart attack patients who were given angiograms before the blocked artery was opened with balloon angioplasty or stenting. The average clot size of those who smoked a cigarette in the six hours before their heart attack was 23 square millimetres. In those who had smoked a cigarette between six and 24 hours before their attack the average clot size was 12.5 square millimetres. Never too soon' A spokeswoman for the British Heart Foundation said the study could open up a new avenue of research. Within five years of kicking the habit, smokers can significantly reduce their risk of heart disease by half - and this research reflects the fact that it can never be too soon to quit.
Smoking is like Russian roulette with worse odds.
We already know that smokers are twice as likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers. This study explains why this happens and should be compulsory reading for all middle-aged smokers. The research was presented at a conference of the American Heart Association.