Cigarette Smoking and Cardiovascular Diseases

IN 1956, the American Heart Association issued a statement on smoking and cardiovascular diseases. Among other things, this statement indicated that the available evidence at that time was not sufficient to justify conclusions concerning a cause and effect relationship between cigarette smoking and increased death rates from coronary heart disease (Appendix 1). Sinee then, sufficient additional knowledge has been accumnlated to warrant a new report on cigarette smoking and its possible relationship to cardiovascular diseases. (See footnote and Appendices 2, 3, 4 and 5.) Up to the present, a number of medical studies (Appendix 5) have been made, nearly all demonstrating a statistical association between heavy cigarette smoking and mortality (death) or morbidity (illness) froin coronary heart disease. In these studies, death rates from coronary heart disease (heart attacks) in middle-aged men were found to be from 50 to 150 per cent higher among heavy cigarette smokers than ainong those who do not smoke. This statistical association does not prove that heavy cigarette smoking causes coronary heart Smoking and health: Joint report of the study group on smoking and health. Science 125: 1129, 1957. disease, but the data strongly suggest that heavy cigarette smoking may contribute to or accelerate the development of coronary heart disease or its complications. Because coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death and a major cause of disability in the American population, the American Heart Association believes that these studies concerning cigarette smoking and coronary heart disease should be called to the attention of the medical profession, allied health professions, health educators, and the general public. The association recognizes the need for more knowledge and will continue to encourage systematic biological and medical research in order to determine whether a causal relationship exists between cigarette smoking and coronary heart disease and also to determine the effects of smoking in relation to strokes and other important aspects of cardiovascular diseases. Ad Hoe Committee on Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease: L. N. KATZ, M.D., Chatrman, Chicago, Ill. E. V. ALLEN, M.D., Rochester, Minn. M. CHERKASKY, M.D., New York, N. Y. F. W. DAVIS, M.D., Baltimore, Md. T. R. DAWBER, M.D., Framingham, Mass.