Cessation of smoking after first-ever stroke: a follow-up study.
OBJECTIVE
Cessation of smoking is widely recommended in patients with stroke to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and recurrent stroke, but little is known regarding how patients modify their smoking habits after a stroke. We used data from a prospective follow-up study to assess modification of smoking habits and to identify predictors of persistent smoking after first-ever stroke.


METHODS
All patients admitted to the only neurology department of Funen County (465 000 inhabitants) with first-ever stroke from August 1, 1999, to January 31, 2001, were prospectively identified. A comprehensive structured interview was completed both during hospitalization and at 6-month follow-up. The interview comprised questions on education, occupation, marital status, lifestyle, concomitant diseases, and functional disability. We estimated the relative risk of persistent smoking at follow-up using unconditional logistic regression.


RESULTS
We identified 734 patients with a first-ever stroke in the study period. One hundred three patients (14%) died in the 6-month period after their admission. A total of 511 patients (81%) who participated in the interview both on admission and at follow-up were included in the present study. Among 198 patients (38.7%) who were current smokers on admission, 43 patients (21.7%) gave up smoking within 6 months of suffering a stroke. Sex, functional status, and sociodemographic characteristics were independently associated with persistent smoking.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that more efficient antismoking counseling is required to reduce the proportion of persistent smokers after stroke. This counseling should take into account the increased risk of persistent smoking in men, patients with no disability, blue-collar workers, and patients living alone.
Bak
Søren
S
Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark. sbak@health.sdu.dk
Sindrup
Søren Hein
SH
Alslev
Torben
T
Kristensen
Ole
O
Christensen
Kaare
K
Gaist
David
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012306:Risk; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology*