The Connection Between Smoking and Heart Disease
There is a very real connection between smoking and heart disease, one that should be recognized by everyone, especially people who are long term smokers. The term heart disease is actually one which is an umbrella term, meaning that it can refer to a number of different conditions.
Coronary artery disease is one of the most common heart diseases, and in this condition the arteries in the body become hard and narrow and as a result blood from the body has a harder time getting to the heart. There are various health problems that can be caused by coronary artery disease, namely angina and heart attack. Angina is chest pain or discomfort which is usually rather mild, whereas a heart attack can result in death.
Smoking and Heart Disease
There are many factors in life that have proven to be able to contribute to heart disease, one of the most major being smoking. Smoking and heart disease is a very common and serious problem, and only by stopping smoking completely will a person be able to reduce their risk of developing any form of heart disease.
The main reason for the relationship between smoking and heart disease is because smoking is a major cause of atherosclerosis which is a buildup of fatty substances in the arteries. This results in putting extra stress on the heart and often causes heart disease to develop. In coronary artery disease the arteries that supply the blood to the heart become severely narrowed and because of this there is even further strain put on the heart.
Especially if you are not in peak physical condition to begin with this can be incredibly dangerous, because the heart can only take so much strain before it simply cannot hold up any longer.
A person’s risk of heart attack increases significantly with every single cigarette that they smoke, and so there really is no safe amount to smoke. The most important thing to remember is that the longer one smokes the more at risk they are and so quitting is crucial to life, literally.
Besides heart disease there are also a number of other health problems that may be caused as a result of smoking, such as increased risk of developing diabetes, increased risk of recurrent coronary artery disease after bypass surgery, damage to cells that line coronary arteries and other blood vessels, and increased risk of developing peripheral artery disease and stroke.
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