It appears the unequivocal answer has been yes for decades however, a new research study carried out by the Ottawa Hospital, Canada, has discovered that smoking will also lead to strokes up to a decade earlier than in non-smokers.
Between the start of 2009 and March 2011, 982 stroke patients were studied, of whom 264 were smokers. The average age of stroke patients who were non-smokers was 67 in comparison to the average age of smoking stroke patients at 58. In addition, the study found that smokers are ten times more likely to have a major stroke and have a much greater chance of experiencing complications and recurrent strokes.
Smoking causes atherosclerosis which leads to a higher risk of blood clots forming. The good news is that if a person stops smoking, within only 18 months to two years their risk of stroke is reduced to approximately the same level as a non-smoker.
