Stroke patients must quit smoking... 'This' increases risk by 1.8 times

Smoking after experiencing an acute ischemic stroke has been shown to increase the risk of hip and spinal fractures. Medical experts analyze that heavy metals such as cadmium contained in cigarette smoke negatively impact the durability and strength of bones.

Among the total survey population, 14,991 people (8.4%) experienced fracture accidents, with 2,054 (1.2%) suffering from hip fractures and 7,543 (4.2%) from spinal fractures. After adjusting for variables such as age, physical activity, and underlying diseases, analysis of fracture risk showed that smoking significantly increases the risk of fractures after a stroke.

Compared to non-smokers, new smokers and persistent smokers after a stroke had a 1.2 times higher risk of fractures. However, in cases where individuals quit smoking after a stroke, the fracture risk was found to be similar to that of non-smokers. In particular, the risk of hip fractures was 1.5 times higher for persistent smokers and 1.8 times higher for new smokers compared to non-smokers. Additionally, the risk of spinal fractures was 1.3 times higher for persistent smokers than for non-smokers.

Professor Cheon explained, "In particular, the increased risk of hip and spinal fractures appears to be due to smoking having a detrimental effect on maintaining bone strength and integrity in skeletal areas that bear a lot of weight and experience greater mechanical stress."