title: There is no healthy level of smoking.
abstract: Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the world. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance. Nicotine dependence is a major barrier to successful smoking cessation. Smoking is a risk factor for 30 diseases with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. There is no safe level of smoking. Help and support to smoking cessation should be an integral part of treatment, particularly for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Prevention of smoking and effective treatment for nicotine dependence can significantly decrease the risk of vascular and malignant diseases.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Neurology, Reference Center for Neurovascular Disorders, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republic of Croatia, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia. nevenka.blazic_cop@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Nevenka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cop-Blazić
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zavoreo
mesh_terms: D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention