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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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