Tobacco smoking and the risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies.

Cigarette smoking may heighten an individual's risk of developing abdominal aortic aneurysm.

This research work studied tobacco smoking in relation to the occurrence of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Researchers pooled data extracted from 23 studies that examined the link between cigarette smoking and the risk of developing aneurysm in the abdominal aorta.

Researchers discovered that abdominal aortic aneurysm was more likely to occur in smokers than in non-smokers. Individuals who had stopped smoking for a period of 25 years were found to have reduced risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm similar to that of never smokers in this study. "These findings confirm a strong association between smoking and the risk of developing abdominal aortic aneurysms," the authors concluded.