New echocardiogram findings indicate that smoking has even more cardiac repercussions than experts previously thought.
That’s according to new research being presented this week at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. The research tapped into data from the 5th Copenhagen City Heart Study, which was derived from nearly 4,000 participants aged 20 to 99 (average age was 56) with no known history of heart disease.
The participants answered questions about their current and former smoking habits and underwent an echocardiogram. The image findings were then compared to the participants smoking histories after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and lung function.
Just 40.5% of the participants indicated that they had never smoked, while 40.9 reported smoking in the past and 18.6% were noted as current smokers. The ultrasound measures obtained revealed that compared to the individuals without a history of smoking, both current and former smokers had thicker, weaker and heavier hearts. As the amount of pack-years increased, the experts noted that cardiac output decreased.
The impact of smoking appeared to be more prevalent in the left heart chamber, study author Dr. Eva Holt, of Herlev and Gentofte Hospital in Copenhagen, shared.
“We found that current smoking and accumulated pack-years were associated with worsening of the structure and function of the left heart chamber – the most important part of the heart. Furthermore, we found that over a 10-year period, those who continued smoking developed thicker, heavier and weaker hearts that were less able to pump blood compared to never smokers and those who quit during that time.”
The study offers more detailed insights into the full scope of damage caused by smoking—that it affects the heart itself, rather than exclusively degrading the body’s blood vessels.
The good news though, Holt notes, is that some function is recovered upon smoking cessation.
“Some of the damage is reversible by giving up.”
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In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She joined Innovate Healthcare in 2021 and has since put her unique expertise to use in her editorial role with Health Imaging.