Smoking cessation and secondary stroke prevention

The 7 million adult stroke survivors in the United States remain at high risk for a recurrent stroke. The increased morbidity and cost associated with recurrent stroke, in addition to the 5% to 20% yearly stroke recurrence, support the need for additional investigations into secondary stroke prevention.1,2 Stroke prevention guidelines, whether primary or secondary, focus on risk factor control of modifiable risk factors. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines for secondary stroke prevention indicate evidence-based risk factor control, interventional approaches, and treatment options as approaches to secondary stroke prevention.1 Risk factor control for secondary stroke prevention includes managing hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia, as well as lifestyle modifications, including weight management, alcohol consumption, and smoking cessation.3 A cornerstone of recurrent stroke reduction, and lifetime cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, is modification of lifestyle behaviors such as abstaining from tobacco, adopting a healthy diet, and exercising regularly. While these healthy lifestyle behaviors should start in childhood and continue through one's lifetime, modifying these health behaviors after a stroke can reduce the risk of recurrent stroke and other CVD-related illnesses.3
Source: Neurology - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: EDITORIALS Source Type: research