The Link between Smoking and Heart Attack

Smoking and heart attack have been linked since the first ever Surgeon’s General report has come out in the year of 1964. Smoking is one of the main risk factors that lead to heart attacks and strokes. The narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis) is accelerated by smoking, and in turn, results in a heart attack. Smoking has also been found out to increase risks of blood clots, which can also block the arteries, leading to aggravated medical conditions such as heart attacks. In depth research on the low nicotine and low tar cigarettes showed that these cigarettes have little to no effect on reducing the many different risks for coronary artery diseases such as heart conditions.

A lot of studies have been done to prove the link between smoking and heart attack, and these studies show the evidence that smoking is one of the major causes of different medical conditions such as coronary heart diseases and coronary artery diseases that ultimately leads to heart attacks. Aside from cigar, pipe and cigarette smoking, other factors that increase the risks of developing different coronary heart diseases include high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, physical inactivity and high blood cholesterol.

Statistics Link Smoking and Heart Attack
According to the statistics that link smoking and heart attack, cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking are the most preventable of all the premature death causes in the United States. From more than of the 2.4 million accounted deaths in the United States annually, 440, 00 0 these deaths account for cigarette smokers. Those people who are smoking have an increased risk of developing medical conditions such as peripheral artery disease, coronary heart disease, coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, peripheral vascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Aside from the lung problems, fatty buildups as well as blood clotting in the arteries that can result from cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking, these can also result in different types of cancer.

When a person smokes, he is not only increasing his personal risks of suffering from different medical conditions; he is also affecting the people around him, especially children and non smokers. Second hand smoke, which is also called as environmental tobacco smoke or passive smoke, affects the people who are usually around smokers. Environmental tobacco smoke is one of the major causes of chronic respiratory diseases, heart conditions as well as cancer. An estimated number of 35,000 people who are nonsmokers die from the different diseases that are caused by second hand smoke.

How Smoking can cause Heart Attacks
Most of the medical cases surrounding heart diseases are caused by the condition called atherosclerosis. This condition occurs when the arteries become clogged and hardened. The narrowed arteries or the clogged arteries prevents the heart from getting the right amount of oxygen it needs to function normally and properly that often results in chest pains (angina). Since smoking increases the risk of blood clotting, this often causes the blood flow to the heart and the arteries to be cut off, resulting to heart attacks.

When a person smokes, he or she is actually increasing the speed of the atherosclerosis process. The cells that line up the heart and the blood vessels are damaged and destroyed by the nicotine contained within the cigarette, the pipe content or the cigar. Because of the tendency of the blood to clot when nicotine is taken in by the body, the risk of a person suffering from heart attacks is greatly increased.

How Smoking Increases the Risk of Coronary Heart Diseases
Cigarette smoking does the damage by itself. It leads to the increased risk of developing different heart and arterial conditions. When smoking is combined with other detrimental factors, it will further increase the risk of getting these illnesses. Smoking and heart attack are linked since the act of smoking decreases an individual’s tolerance to physical exercises and activities; it increases the tendency of blood clotting as well as blood pressure. Smoking of cigars, pipe and cigarettes also increase the risks of coronary heart ailments to recur after bypass surgeries.

Young men and women under fifty years of age who are smokers increase their risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and arterial diseases. Studies show that younger people have a greater risk of experiencing heart attacks than smokers who are over fifty years of age. Women who are smoking and taking oral contraceptives also have an increased risk of developing coronary heart diseases and having heart attacks than those women who are non smokers who take oral contraceptives.

Smoking decreases the good cholesterol in the body, also known as HDL. People who have a history of heart diseases in their family have a much more increased risk of developing heart diseases that may result in heart attacks when combined with smoking. The nicotine that is present in cigarettes, cigars and pipes decrease the oxygen that flows to the heart. It increases the heart beat rate that results in a high blood pressure. The nicotine in these products also increases the tendency of the blood to clot, and it damages the cells that align the coronary arteries and the other essential blood vessels in the body.

How Quitting can be Helpful
Due to the many in depth researches regarding the link between smoking and heart attack, medical professionals have come up with the reasons why quitting smoking is very helpful. Not only does it prolong an individual’s life, it reduces the risks of different diseases such as coronary heart diseases, coronary arterial diseases, heart attacks, several types of cancers such as lung and throat cancer, high blood pressure, emphysema, gum diseases and other ailments.

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