Cigarette Smoking and Coronary Heart Disease

ALTHOUGH the importance of cigarette smoking in causing lung cancer is disputed1 , 2 mortality from all causes is substantially increased in heavy cigarette smokers.3 4 5 Most of the excess mortality is due to coronary heart disease, particularly in the American experience. With the exception of the reports from the Albany Cardiovascular Health Center and the Framingham Study6 , 7 reliable information relating morbidity from coronary heart disease to the use of tobacco has not yet been published. The data from both studies have suggested that a relation exists, but the populations studied have been too small and the follow-up period too short to permit . . .