Abstract
Recent studies have suggested that patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) who smoke have an improved prognosis as compared with nonsmokers. We examined this paradoxical finding using data from a population-based study in Washington, D.C. (n = 127). Current smokers were more likely to have a left-ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 25% or greater as compared with IDCM patients who were past smokers or lifelong nonsmokers (p ≤ 0.02). The cumulative survival among current smokers at 12 and 24 months was 88.1 and 81.4%, respectively, as compared with 77.9 and 71.6% among past smokers and 74.0 and 64.3% among patients who had never smoked. In a univariate analysis using the proportional hazards model, lifelong nonsmokers and former smokers were about twice as likely to die as compared with smokers, although the association was not significant (p > 0.10). In multivariable analysis, older age, LVEF, and ventricular arrhythmias – but not cigarette smoking – were found to be statistically significant independent predictors of survival (p ≤ 0.05).
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 502-508 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Cardiology (Switzerland) |
Volume | 87 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 1996 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Cardiac arrhythmias
- Cigarette smoking
- Dilated cardiomyopathy Mortality
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
- Pharmacology (medical)