Women Smokers and AneurysmsA study by Manoa’s David Curb shows women who smoke eight times more likely to have an aneurysm. Read more
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Honoring a PrincessPrincess Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa is awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Read more
Legal Tips for AgingManoa’s James Pietsch and Lenora Lee publish Deciding “Who Cares?”: A Legal Handbook For Hawai'i’s Older Persons, Families and Other Caregivers. Read more
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Women Smokers and Aneurysms
Manoa Professor David Curb is the principal Hawai‘i investigator for the U.S. Women’s Health Initiative study that found that women who smoke are eight times more likely to suffer a lethal rupture of the body’s largest artery, an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The results of the study were published in the British Medical Journal.
An aneurysm occurs when an area in the wall of the aorta—the body’s largest artery—is weakened and begins to expand. When an aneurysm ruptures, it can be deadly—75 to 80 percent of people who suffer a ruptured aorta do not survive. Quitting smoking reduces the risk, but former women smokers are still four times more likely to suffer the condition.
The rupture can occur without symptoms, although the process can develop over as long as 10 years. Sometimes CT or MRI scans detect the weakening of the artery, but usually that is because patients are seeking treatment for another ailment. A goal of future research is to develop a specific test for the condition.
“It is important to note that smoking is a more powerful risk factor for aortic aneurysm than it is for heart disease or stroke,” says Curb. “This further emphasizes the need for women to avoid smoking.”