Stroke risk for smokers' wives

The risk of stroke increases among non-smoking women whose husband's are chain smokers. Researchers from the Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee found that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke may have harmful cardiovascular effects. The researchers looked into husbands' smoking status and the prevalence of stroke among non-smoking women in Shanghai. It was found that two thirds of men, but few women, in the region smoke. The investigators analysed 60,377 women between the ages of 40 and 70 years. Personal interviews were conducted to obtain data on the smoking status of husbands and history of physician-diagnosed stroke.

The survey showed that 32,287 women (54 per cent) were living with a husband who was a current smoker. A total of 5108 (9 per cent) were living with a husband who was a former smoker. Overall, 526 cases of stroke were reported.It was found that women living with a current smoker had a 47 per cent higher risk of stroke as compared to women married to a non-smoker. The risk was not significantly higher among women married to a former smoker. The risk of stroke increased with the increasing number of cigarettes smoked by the husband everyday. Women whose husbands were current smokers had a 28-62 per cent higher risk of having stroke as compared to those whose husbands never smoked.

Education about the health consequences of tobacco use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke is urgently needed in such a situation.

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