Persistent smoking from childhood to early adulthood significantly raises the risk of premature cardiac damage, a new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reveals. Led by Dr. Andrew O. Agbaje from the University of Eastern Finland, the research examined the long-term effects of tobacco use on heart health, using data from the ALSPAC birth cohort in England.
The study tracked 1,931 young adults and found that smoking prevalence rose sharply with age, reaching 26.4% by 24 years. Persistent smoking from as early as age 10 was linked to troubling cardiac changes by age 24, including a higher likelihood of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction—conditions that can precede serious heart disease. Between ages 17 and 24, the prevalence of LV hypertrophy increased from 2.8% to 7.5%, while instances of LV diastolic dysfunction rose from 10.4% to 16.9%. Notably, habitual smoking was associated with increased LV mass indexed for height (LVMI), a key indicator of cardiac strain.
These findings underscore the urgent need for early interventions to combat smoking and its damaging effects on young hearts. Dr. Agbaje stresses that the data should serve as a call to action for policymakers, clinicians, and public health practitioners to develop stronger measures aimed at preventing youth smoking. By addressing this issue early, there is a critical opportunity to reduce the long-term burden of heart disease and improve outcomes for the next generation.
This research shows how smoking in your teens can quickly harm your heart, stressing the importance of public health efforts to protect young people from long-term damage.
Source: Practice Update , JACC
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