Heart disease risk factors -Smoking

Smoking is the biggest risk factor for sudden death; up to 18 in every 100 deaths from heart disease are associated with smoking. People who smoke cigarettes have twice the risk of a heart attack as those who do not. If you are under 50 and a smoker, your risk of heart disease is ten times greater than for a non-smoker of the same age. The more you smoke and the younger you started, the greater your risk.

Smoking has dangerous effects on other parts of the body too, such as stroke, many types of cancer (particularly lung cancer), chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and leads to diseases of the arteries in the legs (peripheral arterial disease) which can lead to amputation.

Passive smoking also increases your chances of developing heart and lung disease.

The good news is that stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do to improve your health and life expectancy. About 70% of smokers want to quit and there are now many support services and pharmacological preparations on the market to help people kick the habit. If you smoke, get help to quit!

How does smoking cause heart disease?

Smoking damages coronary artery walls eventually causing them to harden and narrow and reduce blood supply to the heart muscle.
Smoking lowers HDL-cholesterol (good cholesterol).
Smoking increases fibrinogen in the blood which makes your blood more sticky and likely to clot.
Smoking increases your heart rate and blood pressure.
Smoking removes oxygen from the blood and replaces it with carbon monoxide.


What makes smoking harmful?

Tobacco smoke contains over 4000 chemical compounds but nicotine and carbon monoxide are the two that are most dangerous for your heart.

Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known. Nicotine stimulates the body to produce adrenaline which makes the heart beat faster and raises blood pressure, causing the heart to work faster.

Carbon monoxide joins onto haemoglobin in the bloodstream making it less able to carry oxygen to the heart muscle and all other parts of the body. Up to half the blood can be carrying carbon monoxide instead of oxygen in some smokers.

Tar is brown and treacly in appearance and causes cancer. Low tar cigarettes can be just as harmful to your heart health as they may have the same amount of nicotine and carbon monoxide.

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How does smoking cause heart disease?

What makes smoking harmful?

Tobacco

Nicotine

Carbon monoxide

Tar