Smoking leading cause of stroke: study

Smoking is the greatest contributing factor to ischemic strokes among young men, a recent medical study showed Monday. 

The research team, led by neurology professor Bae Hee-joon of Seoul National University, found that smoking plays the largest role in causing strokes for men aged 65 and younger, while high blood pressure was the main cause behind the fatal disease for those older than 65. 

The team studied the habits and medical records of 4,743 stroke patients, both men and women, aged 18-90 who were once admitted to one of nine nationwide hospitals or received treatment between 2008 and 2010 to identify risk factors for ischemic stroke by age and sex. 

Stroke, largely divided into acute ischemic strokes and internal hemorrhages, is a leading cause of disability and death in most countries, especially in East Asian countries, with its impact expected to further increase due to the aging populations. 

By age group, results indicated that 45 percent of the Korean men aged 45 or younger suffered strokes due to smoking, followed by hypertension (29 percent). The main cause behind stroke for middle-aged men aged between 46 and 65 was also smoking (37 percent), followed by high blood pressure (23 percent) and diabetes (15 percent). 

Elderly men aged 66 or older, however, showed a different pattern, with high blood pressure being the biggest cause for stroke (24 percent), while past medical problems also contributed to the disease (20 percent). 

Professor Bae hailed the research as the first such study looking into the nationwide population by age and gender to find the risk factors for stroke to come up with preventive measures. 

“To stave off stroke, younger ones should refrain from smoking while trying to manage their blood pressure, and the elderly need to be careful not to suffer a stroke again,” Bae said. 

The study was recently published in the Korean Stroke Society’s official Journal of Stroke.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)