What is the effect of smoking on stroke risk?
Cigarette smoking increases the risk of ischemic stroke and SAH, but the data on ICH are inconclusive. Smoking as little as a single cigarette increases heart rate, mean BP, and cardiac index and decreases arterial dis- tance. Beyond the immediate effects of smoking, both active and passive exposure to cigarette smoke is associated with the development of atherosclerosis, which can increase the risk of thrombotic and embolic stroke. Smoking cessation is associated with a rapid reduction in the risk of stroke and other cardiovascular events to a level that approaches, but does not reach, that of those who never smoked.