Inhaling nicotine and other chemicals in cigarette smoke creates changes in the cardiovascular system that can affect other areas of the body. Because heart health problems arise gradually and may be overshadowed by respiratory symptoms, many smokers experience life-threatening cardiac emergencies.
The pervasiveness of these long-term effects may best be evaluated against an absence of tobacco use. The U.S. Surgeon General's 2010 report notes that the heart attack rate dropped by 41 percent following a three-year ban on smoking cigarettes in public place in Pueblo, Colorado.
Vascular Damage
Smoking cigarettes lowers "good" HDL cholesterol, which raises the amount of "bad" LDL cholesterol in the blood. The American Heart Association reports that unhealthy cholesterol builds up inside the walls of blood vessels and narrows the vascular space, a condition known as atherosclerosis. Blockages in the arteries to the arms and legs can cause peripheral vascular disease, which may result in tissue die-off and require amputation.
When atherosclerosis health problems progress and circulation decreases over the long term, blood pressure rises. Damage to the aorta may occur in the abdominal area, swelling and weakening this main artery and increasing the risk for rupture, or aneurysm.
Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease develops when atherosclerosis builds to a critical stage in long-term smokers, according to the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General. Smoking cigarettes changes the viscous properties of the blood, making platelets stickier and more prone to clumping together. Symptoms of these health problems may include arrhythmias and angina pectoris, or chest pains.
Heart Failure
Damage to lung tissue from smoking cigarettes may compound cardiovascular health problems by reducing the rate of oxygen transfer to the bloodstream. Meanwhile, as tobacco use continues, nicotine elevates the heart rate. The heart must work harder while receiving less oxygen to circulate throughout the body.
The Surgeon General's 2004 report notes that congestive heart failure sets in when the heart can no longer keep up with the extra stress. Circulation slows further and blood may collect in the lower extremities. The effects of heart failure are usually disabling and lead to death.
Heart Attack and Stroke
The American Heart Association relates that all of these forces converge to increase the risk for heart attack and stroke in tobacco users. Sticky blood platelets, narrowed blood vessels and weak heart muscles all make obstruction from blood clots more likely. Blockages to the heart cause heart attacks, while blockages to the brain cause strokes.
Tobacco use has been directly tied to 15,900 deaths by stroke and 126,000 deaths from heart disease and heart attack, as per 2008 data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
References
- U.S. Surgeon General: 2010 Report, How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease
- American Heart Association: Cigarette Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease
- U.S. Surgeon General: 2004 Report, The Health Consequences of Smoking
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Deaths Attributable to Cigarette Smoking
