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Why Smoking Causes a Rise in Blood Pressure

Statistics from the American Heart Association show as many as 37,000 to 40,000 people die every year from the effects of smoking. Cigarette smoke contains a number of toxins that work to breakdown the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Increased blood pressure rates play a significant role in how these conditions develop.

  1. Identification

    • The same ingredients that make cigarette smoking bad for the lungs are the same ones that contribute to rises in blood pressure. Nicotine and carbon monoxide are both toxic agents which impact the heart and the body's ability to receive oxygen. In total, tobacco cigarettes contain 60 known toxic chemicals that work to increase hormone levels in the blood. In effect, these chemicals alter the blood chemistry and affect the body's ability to function normally.

    Cardiac Output

    • Nicotine's stimulant effects may cause short term increases in blood pressure, depending on how many a times a day a person smokes. This stimulant can also cause an increase in heart rate. At the same, carbon monoxide exchanges between the lungs, blood and cells work to prevent oxygen from being absorbed and used within cell metabolism processes. As a result, it decreases the amount of oxygen received by the heart, brain and other organs. As the heart requires oxygen to function, it has to work harder to keep up with the needs of the body. When the heart works harder, blood pressure levels rise.

    Blood Vessel Constriction

    • Elevated blood pressure increases the amount of wear and tear on the body's blood vessel lining. As the heart has to push harder to move blood through constricted vessels, these vessels undergo more pressure than they would at their normal size. Over time, blood vessels can begin to harden and bring about atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries. As blood vessels harden, the heart has to work even harder to force blood through, which in turn causes the blood pressure to increase.

    Oxygen Depletion

    • Oxygen is transported to the cells and organs of the body by red blood cells. Each red blood cell contains a protein called hemoglobin. Oxygen molecules bind onto the hemoglobin portions of red blood cells, and are delivered throughout the body in this manner. When cigarette smoke enters the system, carbon monoxide molecules bind onto hemoglobins thereby preventing oxygen molecules from being transported. The lack of oxygen reaching the heart can cause areas of the heart to grow weak. In effect, these affected areas weaken the force of the heart beat. As a result, the heart may beat faster to make up for this loss of force, which in turn increases the blood pressure rate.

    Plaque Build-Up

    • The effects of ongoing cigarette consumption on the arteries of the body can result in eventual plaque build-up along artery walls. The chemical reactions that take place as a result of the toxic chemicals contained in cigarettes work to inhibit the body's ability to manufacture HDL cholesterols. HDL cholesterols are the "good cholesterols" that work to clear out plaque build-up along artery walls. As a result, the heart is forced to work harder to push blood through clogged arteries, causing blood pressure levels to increase accordingly.

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