|  | Conditions Treatments | Heart Disease

Tobacco & Heart Disease

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. In the United States, it causes 40 percent of all deaths. Stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease are forms of cardiovascular disease. Tobacco smoking is considered the No. 1 controllable risk factor for the development of heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.

  1. Statistics

    • Cigarette smokers are two to three times more likely to die from coronary heart disease than nonsmokers. Tobacco smoking accounts for nearly 440,000 deaths each year in the United States, of which more than 135,000 are due to cardiovascular diseases. Cigarette smoking is a factor in approximately 25 percent of all fatal heart attacks, and has been linked to circulatory conditions, including Buerger's disease, a circulatory disease caused by chronic inflammation of the blood vessels in the extremities.

    Function

    • Nicotine, one of the key components of tobacco, stimulates brain chemicals that lead to addiction and also triggers the adrenal glands to produce hormones that cause stress to the heart by increasing blood pressure and heart rate.

    Effects

    • Inhaling tobacco smoke brings carbon monoxide into the body, which replaces oxygen in the blood cells, depriving the heart, brain and the rest of the body of its oxygen supply. The blood vessel constriction caused by nicotine and the damage to the inner lining of the blood vessels caused by carbon monoxide significantly increase the risk of atherosclerosis. Smoking causes an increase in blood pressure and blood clotting, and lowers exercise tolerance and levels of HDL "good" cholesterol.

    Potential

    • In people with high blood pressure, smoking tobacco can accelerate the narrowing of the blood vessels, known as atherosclerosis. Smoking combined with high blood pressure greatly increases the risk of artery damage as well. Cigarette smoking is a major cause of coronary heart disease, and atherosclerosis is a main contributor to the high number of deaths associated with smoking, according to the American Heart Association.

    Prevention/Solution

    • The U.S. Surgeon General calls cigarette smoking "the leading preventable cause of disease and deaths in the United States." The good news is the health benefits of quitting smoking start almost immediately, and within a few years of quitting the risks of stroke and coronary artery disease are similar to non-smokers.

Heart Disease - Related Articles