Cigarettes Smoking closely linked to risk of heart failure and associated hospitalization: JAHA

A new study published in the Journal of American Heart Association showed that current smoking population was linked to a higher likelihood of hospitalization for heart failure (HF) and both of its subtypes (preserved and lowered ejection fraction) when compared to never smoking population.

Globally, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) constitute a leading cause of morbidity and death. Around the world, at least 26 million people suffer from heart failure (HF). It is estimated that 6.2 million individuals in the United States suffer with HF. In 2030, this number is expected to surpass 8 million, in part due to the aging population.

Despite significant progress in recent decades, the prognosis for heart failure remains dire, with a 1-year death rate of around 30% following diagnosis. Heart failure incidents have been linked to cigarette smoking. However, it is unclear how smoking cigarettes and quitting smoking relate to different forms of heart failure, especially among Black individuals. Therefore, Daisuke Kamimura and team conducted this study in order to assess the effect of smoking cessation on heart failure.

This Jackson Heart Study looked at 4189 Black volunteers (mean age 54 years, 64% female) who had no history of heart failure or coronary heart disease at baseline (never smokers n=2934, past smokers n=761, current smokers n=464). They looked at the relationship between smoking cigarettes and incidence hospitalization for heart failure as well as the two subtypes of heart failure (HF with decreased ejection fraction and HF with intact ejection fraction). Compared to never smoking, current smoking was linked to incident HF (both subtypes) after controlling for confounding variables.

In comparison to those who never smoked, the ones who reported smoking intensity and the ones who reported smoking load were linked to a greater incidence of heart failure with intact ejection fraction. These correlations were not significantly impacted by baseline lung function assessed by spirometry.

More years after quitting smoking reduced the chance of having heart failure (HF), and it took more than 20 years to achieve a risk equivalent to never smoking. Overall, cigarette smoking was linked to the development of both HF subtypes, and this relationship held true regardless of the effects on baseline lung function.

Reference:

Kamimura, D., Yimer, W. K., Mentz, R. J., Shah, A. M., White, W. B., Blaha, M. J., Oshunbade, A., Hamid, A., Suzuki, T., Clark, D. R., Fox, E. R., Correa, A., Butler, J., & Hall, M. E. (2024). Cigarette Smoking, Smoking Cessation, and Heart Failure Subtypes: Insights From the Jackson Heart Study. Journal of the American Heart Association, 13(23), e032921. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.123.032921