A new study led by researchers at the Jordan University of Science and Technology has found that smokers have a lower chance of surviving a heart attack than non-smokers.
The study was published in the journal, 'Experimental Biology'.
The study has also found that levels of Alpha-1 Anti Trypsin (A1AT)--a protein in the liver that protects the body's tissues--in smokers were 'significantly less' than in non-smokers.
Approximately, 1.5 million heart attacks and strokes happen annually in the US, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. It was believed that A1AT could offer protection to cardiac tissue when it is released during a heart attack.
"The aim 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 an attack," quoted Said Khatib, PhD, a co-author of the study.
The human study was conducted on 29 adult men and 11 adult women through blood samples drawn within one, four, 24, 48 and 96 hours of a heart attack diagnosis. Participants were divided into four groups of smokers and non-smokers, and hypertensive and non-hypertensive
Researchers have believed that maintaining appropriate levels of A1AT in smokers during a heart attack will improve their chances of survival.
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