Smoking
and Cardiovascular Disease
Diseases
caused by smoking kill more than 438,000 people
in the United States each year; 33 percent of
these deaths were cardiovascular related. Even
with anti-smoking campaigns and medical disclaimers
in place, many people continue to smoke or start
smoking every year. According to the American
Cancer Society, 90 percent of new smokers are
children and teenagers, in many cases, replacing
the smokers who quit or died prematurely from
a smoking-related disease.
Smokers
not only have increased risk of lung disease,
including lung cancer and emphysema, but also
have increased risk of heart disease, stroke,
and oral cancer.
- One out of every five
smoking-related deaths are caused by cardiovascular
disease.
- Cigarette smoking produces
a greater risk for coronary heart disease in
people younger than 50 years.
- Women over the age
of 35 who smoke and take oral contraceptives
are at much greater risk for developing a cardiovascular
disease or stroke than women who do not smoke
while taking oral contraceptives.
In posing
health risks on the body's cardiovascular
system, smoking:
- causes immediate and
long-term increases in blood pressure.
- causes immediate and
long-term increases in heart rate.
- reduces cardiac output
and coronary blood flow.
- reduces the amount
of oxygen that reaches the body's tissues.
- changes the properties
of blood vessels and blood cells - allowing
cholesterol and other fatty substances to build
up.
- contributes to higher
blood pressure and increased risk of blood clot
formation.
- damages blood vessels.
- doubles the risk of
ischemic stroke (reduced blood flow to the brain).
In addition,
smoking has been associated with depression and
psychological distress.
The
American Heart Association estimates indicate
that approximately 35,000 people die each year
from heart and blood vessel disease caused by
secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is smoke that
is exhaled by smokers and smoke emitted from the
burning end of a lit cigarette, cigar, or pipe.
Both
direct and indirect smoking exposure poses significant
health hazards to pregnant women, infants, and
young children. Children and infants exposed to
tobacco smoke are more likely to experience ear
infections and asthma, and are at a higher risk
for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than children
and infants without the same exposure.
The
following common symptoms may be associated with
exposure to secondhand smoke. However, each individual
may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms
may include:
- irritation of the eyes,
nose, and throat
- coughing
- excessive phlegm (mucus
in the airways)
- chest discomfort from
lung irritation
- chest pain, which may
indicate heart disease
The
symptoms of secondhand smoke may resemble other
medical conditions and problems. Always consult
a physician for a diagnosis.
Smoking,
in addition to high cholesterol, high blood pressure,
physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes tops
the list as a primary risk factor for cardiovascular
disease. In fact, smoking has been classified
as the single most preventable cause of premature
death in the United States.
According
to the American Heart Association, eliminating
smoking not only reduces the risk of coronary
heart disease, but also reduces the risk of repeat
heart attacks and death by heart disease by 50
percent. Research also indicates that smoking
cessation is crucial in the management of many
contributors to heart attack, including atherosclerosis,
thrombosis, coronary artery disease, and cardiac
arrhythmias.
Quitting
smoking is both a mental and a physical undertaking.
Mentally, you should be ready and relatively stress-free.
Physically, you need to commit to exercising daily
and getting plenty of sleep. A person trying to
quit must overcome two obstacles: a physical addition
to nicotine and a habit. The American Academy
of Otolaryngology and the American Lung Association
offer the following tips to help users quit using
tobacco products:
- Think about why you
want to quit.
- Pick a stress-free
time to quit.
- Ask for support and
encouragement from family, friends, and colleagues.
- Start doing some exercise
or activity each day to relieve stress and improve
your health.
- Get plenty of rest.
- Eat a balanced diet.
- Join a smoking cessation
program, or other support group.
In some
cases, smokers benefit from nicotine replacement
products to help break their smoking habit. Nicotine
replacement products continue to give smokers
nicotine to meet their nicotine craving. However,
the benefit of nicotine replacement products is
the elimination of tars and poisonous gases that
cigarettes emit. Pregnant or nursing women and
people with other medical conditions should consult
with their physician before using any nicotine
replacement products. Some examples of nicotine
replacement products include:
- nicotine chewing gum
- an over-the-counter chewing gum that releases
small amounts of nicotine to help reduce nicotine
withdrawal symptoms.
- nicotine patch - an
over-the-counter patch applied to the upper
body once a day that releases a steady dosage
of nicotine to help reduce the urge to smoke.
- nicotine inhaler or
nasal spray - a prescription nicotine replacement
product that releases nicotine to help reduce
withdrawal symptoms (requires a physician's
approval before use).
Zyban,
a non-nicotine alternative to help people stop
smoking, is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA). Offered in pill form to smokers who want
to quit, Zyban (Bupropion HCI), has been shown
to alter mood transmitters in the brain that are
linked to addiction. Zyban must be prescribed
by a physician and may not be appropriate for
everyone. Consult your physician for more information.
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Resources of Cardiovascular Disease
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