Jay H Lubin1, Demetrius Albanes2, Jane A Hoppin3, Honglei Chen4, Catherine C Lerro5, Stephanie J Weinstein2, Dale P Sandler4, Laura E Beane Freeman5. 1. Biostatistics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, US National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. 2. Metabolic Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, US National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. 3. Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. 4. Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC. 5. Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, US National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Relative risks (RRs) for coronary heart disease (CHD) by cigarettes/day exhibit a concave pattern, implying the RR increase with each additional cigarette/day consumed decreases with greater intensity. Interpreting this pattern faces limitations, since cigarettes/day alone does not fully characterize smoking-related exposure. A more complete understanding of smoking and CHD risk requires a more comprehensive representation of smoking. METHODS: Using Poisson regression, we applied a RR model in pack-years and cigarettes/day to analyze two diverse cohorts, the US Agricultural Health Study, with 4396 CHD events and 1 425 976 person-years of follow-up, and the Finnish Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study, with 5979 CHD events and 486 643 person-years. RESULTS: In both cohorts, the concave RR pattern with cigarettes/day was consistent with cigarettes/day modifying a linear RR association for CHD by pack-years within categories of cigarettes/day, indicating that strength of the pack-years association depended on cigarettes/day (p < .01). For example, at 50 pack-years (365 000 total cigarettes), estimated RRs of CHD were 2.1 for accrual at 20 cigarettes/day and 1.5 for accrual at 50 cigarettes/day. CONCLUSIONS: RRs for CHD increased with pack-years with smoking intensities affecting the strength of association. For equal pack-years, smoking fewer cigarettes/day for longer duration was more deleterious than smoking more cigarettes/day for shorter duration. We have now observed inverse smoking intensity effects in multiple cohorts with differing smoking patterns and other characteristics, suggesting a common underlying phenomenon. IMPLICATIONS: Risk of CHD increases with pack-years of smoking, but accrual intensity strongly influences the strength of the association, such that smoking fewer cigarettes/day for longer duration is more deleterious than smoking more cigarettes/day for shorter duration. This observation offers clues to better understanding biological mechanisms, and reinforces the importance of cessation rather than smoking less to reduce CHD risk. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2016. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.
INTRODUCTION: Relative risks (RRs) for coronary heart disease (CHD) by cigarettes/day exhibit a concave pattern, implying the RR increase with each additional cigarette/day consumed decreases with greater intensity. Interpreting this pattern faces limitations, since cigarettes/day alone does not fully characterize smoking-related exposure. A more complete understanding of smoking and CHD risk requires a more comprehensive representation of smoking. METHODS: Using Poisson regression, we applied a RR model in pack-years and cigarettes/day to analyze two diverse cohorts, the US Agricultural Health Study, with 4396 CHD events and 1 425 976 person-years of follow-up, and the Finnish Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study, with 5979 CHD events and 486 643 person-years. RESULTS: In both cohorts, the concave RR pattern with cigarettes/day was consistent with cigarettes/day modifying a linear RR association for CHD by pack-years within categories of cigarettes/day, indicating that strength of the pack-years association depended on cigarettes/day (p < .01). For example, at 50 pack-years (365 000 total cigarettes), estimated RRs of CHD were 2.1 for accrual at 20 cigarettes/day and 1.5 for accrual at 50 cigarettes/day. CONCLUSIONS: RRs for CHD increased with pack-years with smoking intensities affecting the strength of association. For equal pack-years, smoking fewer cigarettes/day for longer duration was more deleterious than smoking more cigarettes/day for shorter duration. We have now observed inverse smoking intensity effects in multiple cohorts with differing smoking patterns and other characteristics, suggesting a common underlying phenomenon. IMPLICATIONS: Risk of CHD increases with pack-years of smoking, but accrual intensity strongly influences the strength of the association, such that smoking fewer cigarettes/day for longer duration is more deleterious than smoking more cigarettes/day for shorter duration. This observation offers clues to better understanding biological mechanisms, and reinforces the importance of cessation rather than smoking less to reduce CHD risk. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2016. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.
Authors: Richard J O'Connor; Gary A Giovino; Lynn T Kozlowski; Saul Shiffman; Andrew Hyland; John T Bernert; Ralph S Caraballo; K Michael Cummings Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2006-08-03 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: J P Richie; S G Carmella; J E Muscat; D G Scott; S A Akerkar; S S Hecht Journal: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev Date: 1997-10 Impact factor: 4.254