A new study by researchers from the Jordan University of Science and Technology has found that smokers are less likely to survive a heart attack than non-smokers. The study was published in the journal “Experimental Biology”.
The study also found that levels of alpha-1 anti trypsin (A1AT) – a liver protein that protects body tissues – in smokers were “significantly lower” than in non-smokers. About 1.5 million heart attacks and strokes occur each year in the United States, according to the Heart Disease and Stroke Division of the US Department of Health and Human Services. It was believed that A1AT might offer protection to heart tissue when released during a heart attack.
“The purpose of this study was to compare the plasma levels of A1AT released in smokers and non-smokers and between hypertensive and non-hypertensive individuals after a stroke,” cited co-author Said Khatib, PhD. study. The human study was conducted on 29 adult males and 11 adult females using blood samples taken within 1, 4, 24, 48 and 96 hours of being diagnosed with a heart attack. Participants were divided into four groups of smokers and non-smokers, and hypertensives and non-hypertensives
Researchers believe that maintaining appropriate levels of A1AT in smokers during a heart attack will improve their chances of survival. (ANI)
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