Smoking and Heart Disease

One of the most serious possible conditions caused by long term cigarette smoking is heart disease , mainly because more smokers die at a younger age from circulatory problems than from lung disease and/or cancer. ( There would be more deaths from cancer and lung disease if more smokers lived long enough to get those diseases.)

For our purposes, when I speak of heart disease, I am mostly referring to coronary artery disease,, which is a condition in which the major artery that leaves the heart carrying oxygen-rich blood becomes constricted. Long term, heavy smoking greatly increases the odds of this happening - mainly from the action of nicotine and carbon monoxide in the cigarettes


Smoking and Heart Disease - Effects on the Circulatory System


Nicotine:

• affects arteries throughout the body.
• in every cigarette speeds up heart rate by 20 beats per minute.
• acts as vasoconstrictor (narrowing of blood vessels) so heart has to work harder to get blood to circulate.
• increases blood pressure.
• Causes the body to release its stores of fats and cholesterol into the blood stream.
• increases the clotting of the blood.
  
  Carbon monoxide is also present in cigarette smoke. It binds with the hemoglobin which is a molecule in red blood that helps transport oxygen throughout the body including the heart. Because the carbon monoxide now occupies the receptors where the hemoglobin usually is, there is less oxygen being transported to the body and the heart.

  
  
  The vasoconstriction caused by the nicotine also reduces the amount of oxygen getting to the tissues and organs. When a tissue or organ is deprived of oxygen, the tissue in that area dies. The arteries of the heart and/or brain can be affected. In the case of the brain, if part of the brain dies, depending on which part, speech or motor function can be impaired.

  Decreased oxygen to the extremities can lead to gangrene and amputation of the affected part.

  In a effort to prevent this and to get more oxygen to the area, the heart has to work harder to circulate more blood.

  
  
  Both nicotine and carbon monoxide increase blood clotting which can lead to blocked blood vessels which leads to necrosis in the area of the blockage.

  Clogged arteries can also be caused by the increased fat and cholesterol (one of the effects of the nicotine in the cigarettes). Smoking decreases the amount of HDL(high density lipoprotein), the “good” cholesterol which encourages the growth of the fatty deposits. This condition is called atherosclerosis and is a major factor in heart attack risk.
  
  
  Smoking and Heart Disease - Further Effects of Smoking

  
  
  There’s another correlation between smoking and heart disease.

  Smoking causes several physical effects that also reduces health. Reduced oxygen, shortness of breath and other effects of smoking make exercise more difficult and unpleasant. That, and lifestyle choices often associated with smoking, reduce overall fitness.

  
  

  That lack of exercise, and the increased weight gain and body fat percentage that tends to accompany it, further increases the chances of heart disease and heart attack. The body is unable to withstand strains that might otherwise be minor. It is less able to withstand the serious biological shock that occurs when heart attack finally happens. That increases the likelihood that the attack will be fatal.
  
  Long-term, one-pack-a-day smokers have 2-4 times the chance of developing coronary heart disease than non-smokers. Quitting today, improves your odds immediately. Within 3 months circulation improves. After a year, the odds are half that of a smoker. After 5-15 years, the odds are that of someone who has never smoked.
  
  Don’t think it’s too late. Start today on a program to quit smoking. (Increase you chances of success with laser therapy)

  
  
  
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  Effects of Nicotine
  Introduction to Laser Therapy
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