Young women who smoke two packs a day are nine times more likely to suffer a stroke than nonsmokers, according University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers.
Even a few cigarettes a day doubles the risk, researchers found.
In one of the first studies to examine stroke risk in young women, researchers reviewed the smoking history of 400 black and white women ages 15 to 49 who had suffered a stroke.
Former smokers showed no difference from those who had never smoked in their risk for stroke, researchers found.
“If you actually stop, the risk really does revert to near-never smoking relatively quickly,” said researcher Dr. John Cole, assistant professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
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