Diabetic patients could prolong their lives if they quit smoking.
Medical experts issue a new CDC warning: type 2 diabetes patients should quit smoking. The new recommendations come after a new study has revealed that diabetic patients who also smoke run more risks of suffering health cardiovascular complications.
Researchers analyzed a series of 89 previous surveys on adult smokers, who have been diagnosed with diabetes to determine the effects that smoking has on patients. Their studies have revealed that the risks of complications are much bigger in the case of patients who smoke than in the case of non-smokers.
More specifically, there are 1.5 times more risks of heart failure, strokes and clogged arteries for diabetic patients who smoke. Artery disease risks double in their case compared to the situation of non-smokers, researchers have concluded.
Type 2 diabetes patients who gave up smoking have more chances of survival, An Pan, the lead author of the study has stated. They run only 1.2 times the risk of clogged arteries and 1.1 times heart problems. Even though figures look more promising in their case, they are still alarmingly high compared to the risks that non-smokers run.
Investigators have also paid attention to death and survival rates. They have, thus, noticed that death rates are bigger for type 2 diabetes patients who also smoke. 14.6 percent more diabetic male patients and 3.3 female patients die each year because they continue to smoke throughout the medical treatment.
An Pan, the lead author of the study, has concluded that diabetic patients should by any means quit smoking once they have been diagnosed with this affection. She is aware that most patients do not quit smoking because they are afraid they could gain weight, but Pan advises them to look for long-term objectives that will most certainly improve their condition.
Medical experts think the new findings will be useful for the entire community, particularly for physicians looking for effective treatments. The study suggests doctors to pay more attention to cardiovascular problems that may arise among diabetic patients who smoke. This way, many of their complications could be prevented and their life will be prolonged.
Image source: www.wisegeek.com