A LANDMARK study has found that a population, almost twice the size of Port Douglas, is being wiped out in Australia each year because of smoking. 

According to the ANU-led study, smoking causing more than 6400 cardiovascular deaths a year, which includes deaths from heart attack and stroke.

That means at least 17 Australians are dying every day from preventable heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular conditions.

Lead researcher Prof Emily Banks from the ANU National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, says the study, the most in-depth in the world, shows for the first time how smoking harms all of the cardiovascular system – the heart and major blood vessels.

“That includes investigating the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, heart muscle disease, rhythm problems, and gangrene in Australians from every walk of life: men, women, city, country, rich, poor,” she says.

“We found there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Smoking causes terrible harm across the board.”

The research team tracked about 190,000 Australian smokers and non-smokers participating in the Sax Institute’s 45 and Up Study for 36 different types of cardiovascular disease for more than seven years. It found that smoking also causes 11,400 coronary heart hospitalisations a year – that’s 31 per day.

And for people who classify themselves as “light smokers”, Prof Banks says they’re not immune to these risks.

In what she describes as “extremely alarming”, the research also found a doubling in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease among those smoking an average of five cigarettes a day.

CEO of the Heart Foundation, adjunct Prof John Kelly says this new evidence is disturbing.

“It demonstrates that our battle to eliminate the devastation tobacco brings to people’s lives is far from over,” Prof Kelly says.

“We urge the Government to maintain tobacco control as a high priority and look forward to seeing it feature strongly in the new Prevention Strategy recently announced by the Minister for Health.

“There are around 2.7 million smokers in Australia today.

“Those smokers have around triple the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to people who have never smoked, and double the risk of a heart attack, a stroke or heart failure. They are also five times more likely to develop peripheral cardiovascular diseases like gangrene.

“If a smoker has a heart attack or a stroke, it is more likely than not that it was caused by smoking.”

Following this landmark health study, the Australian Council on Smoking and Health is now calling for the Federal Government to reignite Australia’s National Tobacco Campaign, a key missing ingredient to reduce smoking since 2013.

The Australian Council on Smoking and Health chief executive Maurice Swanson says the findings of this study demonstrate why it is absolutely vital for the Australian Government to reintroduce a national tv-led public education campaign to encourage and support smokers to quit.

“The Federal Government received over $12 billion from tobacco tax in 2018/19 but has not funded a nationwide campaign since 2013,” he says.

“The first phase of the new campaign could highlight the lethal impact of smoking on the heart and blood vessels to motivate smokers to quit.”

In good news, the research shows quitting smoking markedly reduces your risk of heart attacks, stroke and dying from cardiovascular disease compared with continuing to smoke.

The director of Quit Victoria, Dr Sarah White says the study really reinforces how important it is to prioritise quitting.

“Quitting at any age provides a whole host of health and other benefits and quitting by age 45 avoids about 90 per cent of the cardiovascular risks of smoking,” she says.

“And if you are a light or social smoker who thinks ‘just a few’ won’t hurt, this study really shows you’re kidding yourself that it’s not doing damage.

“No matter how much you smoke or how long you have smoked, the best time to stop is right now. Call the Quitline, or talk to your GP or other health professional for advice.”

The research is published in the international journal BMC Medicine and was undertaken in partnership with the Heart Foundation and Sax Institute.

Read the study in BMC Medicine bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/