There are many smoking-related health problems. Long-term
cigarette smoking can lead to all kinds of medical
conditions, one of which is heart disease. We often hear
about heart disease being related to smoking but what
exactly is it and how does smoking cause it?
Heart disease often relates to coronary artery disease in
this context. Coronary artery disease is a condition where
a major blood vessel which leaves the heart with
oxygen-rich blood is constricted. This means a clot or
closure is more likely and either of these can cause a
heart attack. That is where the phrase "having a coronary"
comes from.
Being a heavy smoker for a long time increases the odds
enormously of that happening to you.
One reason for this is that cigarette smoke contains carbon
monoxide, which binds with hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the
molecule found in red blood cells which transports oxygen
through the body, including to the heart. The less oxygen
the heart receives, the more chance of a heart attack.
Nicotine is another substance which reduces blood oxygen
and contributes to other potentially harmful conditions. It
increases blood clotting which can put you at risk of a
heart attack. Nicotine is also responsible for more subtle,
dangerous effects. It encourages the growth of fatty
deposits on the arteries. This constricts blood flow and
hardens the blood vessel.
Smoking decreases the amount of high density lipoprotein,
or HDL, which is the "good" type of cholesterol. Losing
this encourages fatty deposits to grow. This condition,
which is a major factor in heart attack risk, is called
atherosclerosis.
If an artery is reduced in diameter, this increases blood
pressure, making it more likely that a weakness in the
artery wall, or "aneurysm", will rupture. That in turn
causes a stroke, when the brain starved of oxygen. This is
why you often hear about strokes and heart disease in the
same sentence.
If an artery is hardened, it is not so able to withstand
the usual stresses and strains of its function. A blood
vessel acts like a hose but is different too. A blood
vessel carries fluid like a hose but unlike a hose it is on
all the time. The fluid can only be carried if there are no
holes in the blood vessel. If the blood slows or stops,
this can cause immediate health issues, even if it is only
a temporary slowing down or stoppage. Tissues need to
receive blood constantly, else they quickly die.
Cigarette smoking also has the overall effect of
contributing to heart disease. It causes physical effects
that lower health. Shortness of breath, reduced oxygen and
other effects which make exercise unpleasant and harder.
Lifestyle choices associated with smoking reduce overall
fitness.
Lack of exercise resulting in increased body fat percentage
and weight gain increases the risk of heart attack and
heart disease even more. The body is unable to cope with
strains which would otherwise be minor. It cannot withstand
serious biological shocks when a heart attack occurs. This
means the attack is likely to be fatal.
Long term, one pack a day smokers have up to four times the
chance of developing coronary heart disease than
non-smokers. Quitting immediately improves your odds. Your
circulation improves after three months and after a year
the odds are half that of a smoker. After five to fifteen
years, you have the same odds as someone who has never
smoked.
It's never too late to stop smoking.
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Get much more information about the dangers of smoking, and
why it's a good idea to stop smoking, at
http://www.onlinestopsmokingtips.com . Lots of resources to
help you quit, encourage you while you are quitting, and
more.
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