Being exposed to cigarettes without smoking yourself increases your risk of having a stroke by 30%. This danger is independent of other risk factors.
Living with a smoker is definitely not good for your health. Several studies have demonstrated the harmful impact of passive smoking on the lungs and the cardiovascular system. A study published inAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicine drives home the point: being exposed to cigarette smoke significantly increases the risk of having a stroke.
22,000 people over the age of 45 took part in this prospective study. A quarter of them had been exposed to second-hand smoke the previous year. During the follow-up, carried out between 2003 and 2012, 428 strokes were identified.
In order to calculate the risk caused by passive exposure to cigarettes, the researchers took into account other risk factors. Being around a smoker on a regular basis increases the likelihood of having a stroke by 30%. Ischemic attacks are the most common, according to the results. They are caused by a lack of oxygen supply to part of the brain – either because of an occlusion (thrombosis) of the internal carotid artery or because of a cerebral embolism (migration of a clot or blood clot). a fatty deposit).
A variable risk
“Our results suggest that events like stroke are possible among non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke, and add to the body of evidence for tighter tobacco regulation,” concludes Angela Malek, lead author. Further research should study the role of cardiovascular risk factors in the association, and study the potential exposure to other environmental variables such as air pollutants and their link with stroke. “
The causal link between exposure to passive smoking and stroke has long been demonstrated. But the role of cigarettes in the onset of these events is difficult to assess. A study published in the same journal in 2008 concluded that living with a smoker increased by 42% the risk of accidents in non-smokers. But according to the National Institute for Prevention and Health Education (Inpes), the risk of stroke is doubled. There is only one certainty: cigarette smoke is indeed a risk factor in itself.
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