Approximately one out of every five deaths in the US is a result of cigarette smoking. In the US, it is the leading preventable cause of both illness and death. Including the heart, blood vessels, lungs, eyes, mouth, reproductive organs, bones, bladder, and digestive organs, smoking damages and causes dysfunctions of almost every part in the body.
Numerous health risks and complications, including heart-related ones, may arise due to it. Actually, smoking has an impact on blood vessels, the heart, and the cardiovascular system as a whole. Smoking can have major adverse effects on the cardiovascular system. This may eventually result in serious health problems like heart failure or stroke.
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What impact does tobacco use have on heart health?
One of the main risk factors for heart disease is smoking. Smoking’s inhaled toxins harm your heart and blood vessels, increasing your risk of atherosclerosis, or plaque accumulation in the arteries. Smoking in any amount, even sporadically, can harm blood vessels and the heart to a great extent. For some people, smoking presents an even higher danger, particularly for those with diabetes and women who use birth control pills.
Smoking increases your risk of heart disease even further if you also have other heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, unhealthy blood cholesterol levels, and being overweight or obese. Peripheral artery disease is another condition that smoking raises your risk for. PAD is caused by plaque accumulation in the arteries supplying blood to the arms, legs, head, and internal organs. Heart attacks, strokes, and coronary heart disease are all more common in people with PAD.
The smoke exhaled by a smoker or the smoke originating from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar, pipe, or other tobacco product is referred to as secondhand smoke. In the same ways that smoking harms those who smoke, it can harm the heart and blood vessels of nonsmokers.
Heart Diseases Associated With Smoking
1. Atherosclerosis
Plaque accumulation causes the arteries to narrow and stiffen in atherosclerosis. Scar tissue, fat, and cholesterol are components of plaque. In addition to causing inflammation, plaque obstructs blood flow, making it difficult for blood to reach other parts of the body.
In particular, by raising inflammation, cigarette smoke both causes and exacerbates atherosclerosis. Plaque and cholesterol accumulate in the arteries as a result of inflammation. Furthermore, smoking raises the risk of atherosclerosis by causing hypertension. This is due to the fact that high blood pressure puts additional strain on the arteries, increasing the risk of stiffness and cholesterol accumulation.
2. High Blood Pressure
When the blood in your arteries flows too forcefully, you have high blood pressure. Another name for it is hypertension. Because cigarette smoke contains nicotine which is a dangerous chemical that raises blood pressure abnormally.
3. Arrhythmias
Heart irregularities are known as arrhythmias. Another name for it is an irregular heartbeat. Heart muscle scarring, or cardiac fibrosis, is brought on by smoking. This may result in tachycardia, which is an erratic or rapid heartbeat. In addition to raising heart rate, nicotine from cigarettes can cause tachycardia.
4. Coronary Heart Disease
When the coronary arteries in the heart are unable to supply the heart with enough blood, the condition known as coronary heart disease (CHD) results. It is also known as coronary artery disease or ischemic heart disease. Smoking can lead to high blood pressure and atherosclerosis, which can cause CHD.
Plaque accumulates in the coronary arteries due to atherosclerosis gradually, obstructing blood flow. The coronary arteries are harmed by high blood pressure and become constricted. Cigarette smoke also contains chemicals that thicken blood and cause clots that can obstruct coronary arteries.
5. Stroke
Smoking stimulates the buildup of clots and plaque, which can obstruct blood vessels all over the body. A stroke may result from this if it takes place in the brain. When there is an interruption in the blood supply to the brain, a stroke or brain attack occurs. This happens when a cerebral blood vessel gets clogged or bursts. As a result, brain cells die from a lack of oxygen in the brain.
6. Heart Attack
Cigarette smoking can result in a heart attack if it restricts blood flow to the heart. Another name for this is a myocardial infarction. The heart muscle begins to die if there is not enough blood that is oxygenated.
7. Heart Failure
When the heart cannot pump enough blood to the body, heart failure results. Heart failure is a result of numerous illnesses. Arrhythmia and CHD are two conditions linked to smoking. Consequently, smoking raises the risk of heart failure in addition to contributing to these conditions.
8. Peripheral arterial disease
The condition known as peripheral arterial disease (PAD) arises when the arteries are too small to adequately supply blood to the hands, feet, legs, and arms. Smoking can cause atherosclerosis and inflammation, which can lead to PAD. This may stop blood that is rich in oxygen from getting to your limbs.
9. Abdominal aortic aneurysm
One of the main arteries that distributes blood throughout the body is the aorta. The abdomen is where it’s found. Cigarette smoke contains chemicals that can cause the aorta to narrow, become more inflamed, and produce more plaque. Consequently, an abdominal aortic aneurysm, a bulging or weak spot in the aorta, may develop. Over time, the abdominal aortic aneurysm may enlarge. It could endanger life if it bursts.
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Conclusion
The risks associated with smoking cigarettes to one’s heart are numerous. It may result in atherosclerosis, arrhythmia, and hypertension. These disorders have the potential to develop into more severe illnesses over time, including peripheral artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, heart failure, heart attack, and stroke.
The best defense against these ailments is abstaining from or giving up smoking. Consult your doctor if you require assistance in stopping smoking. They can assist you in stopping smoking and enhancing your cardiovascular well-being.
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