Smoking Linked to Cryptogenic Ischemic Stroke in Young Adults
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Feb. 24, 2025 -- Smoking and high-intensity smoking are associated with cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS) among adults aged 18 to 45 years, according to a study published online Feb. 19 in Neurology Open Access.
Phillip Ferdinand, M.B.Ch.B., from University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust in the United Kingdom, and colleagues prospectively recruited patients aged 18 to 49 years with CIS within two weeks of symptom onset from 19 European stroke centers to determine the association between smoking and young CIS.
The analysis included 546 young patients with CIS and matched controls. The researchers found a significant difference between patients and controls in low education status, hypertension, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, and heavy alcohol use. In the whole cohort, there was an association between smoking and young CIS after adjustment (odds ratio, 2.39), with stronger associations seen in men (odds ratio, 3.34). The association was seen in all age groups and was highest in the 45- to 49-year-old age group (odds ratio, 3.77). The strongest association was seen for those with >20 pack-years (odds ratio, 4.30), especially in men and in the 45- to 49-year-old age group.
"We found a clear association between smoking and CIS in the young even after adjustment for low education status and well-known vascular risk factors," the authors write. "This association was strong in men but was not significant in women."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted February 2025
Read this next
Advanced Biological Age Linked to Increased Risk for Incident Dementia
FRIDAY, May 2, 2025 -- Advanced biological age (BA) may be a risk factor for incident dementia, according to a study published online April 30 in Neurology. Yacong Bo, Ph.D...
No Benefit Seen for Revascularization Added to Drug Therapy in Carotid Stenosis
FRIDAY, May 2, 2025 -- For patients with asymptomatic or symptomatic carotid stenosis of 50 percent or greater with a low or intermediate predicted stroke risk, there is no...
Exposure to Smoke Pollution Ups Risk for Hospitalization for Respiratory Disease
FRIDAY, May 2, 2025 -- For older adults in the Western United States, exposure to high levels of smoke pollution is associated with an increase in hospitalizations for respiratory...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.