Smoking Related Diseases - More Than Lung Cancer

Did you know that many more people will die from circulatory problems from smoking than from cancer or other lung diseases? In heart and other circulatory diseases, the two chemicals in cigarettes that stand out as the biggest problems are nicotine and carbon monoxide. Nicotine has very powerful effects on arteries throughout the body, working as a stimulant and speeding up the heart by about 20 beats per minute with every cigarette. It increases blood pressure and constricts the arteries, making it harder for the heart to pump through the constricted arteries and thus, causing the body to release fat and cholesterol into the blood.

As a result of this, the heart needs has to pump harder to overcome these effects and needs extra oxygen to fuel itself. But since carbon monoxide present in tobacco smoke takes the place of oxygen in the blood, the heart need to work harder on its own. This places great stress on the heart after every cigarette smoked and the more cigarette smoked, the more stress builds.

At the same time, blood clots are likely to occur along the artery, causing blood flow to be blocked.

The photo on the above left shows a cross-section of a normal artery. The one on the right is of a diseased artery that had suffered from a deadly  clot-formation.

Clot-formation may occur in the great arteries of the heart, leading to deadly infarctions and heart attacks.

The photo on the above left shows a clot-formation in the coronary artery which had led to a myocardial infarction or heart attack. The right photo shows a heart that had suffered from a heart attack. The affected part of the heart appears cracked and brittle and it is not able to pump blood anymore, causing permanent impairment in the overall circulation. If this part was large enough, the person would die immediately from the heart attack.

The vasoconstrictor effect of nicotine induces the body to release more fat and cholesterol. To make things worse, carbon monoxide has a way of sticking the fats and cholesterol to the arteries, causing a dangerous build-up of fatty tissue along the arteries, leading to a significant reduction in blood flow to the supplying tissues or organs.

The left photo is an artery which is starting to accumulate fat deposits. The right photo is that of a smoker whose artery has been completely blocked with fatty buildup.

And for the same reason, circulation to the brain can also be impaired if the arteries experience blockage. Below are photos of the same artery in the brains of the 2 different individuals - one a non-smoker and the other a smoker.

In the left photo of a non-smoker, the 2 arrows are pointing to normal arteries that adopt wire-like structures, which makes them very hard to notice. In the right photo taken from the brain of a smoker, the arteries are very prominent and thick from the build up of fatty tissue. Because of this build up or a clot-formation, the person experiences loss of circulation to the supplied part of the brain, resulting in serious strokes, seizures and sometimes even death.

The circulation to the arms and legs are also highly vulnerable to the vasoconstricting, clot-forming and fat-clogging effects of smoking.  Smoking is the primary cause of peripheral vascular disease, especially Buerger's Disease. In Buerger's Disease, circulation to the finger or toes are completely cut off, resulting in death and rotting of that part. Once death and rotting (gangrene) occurs, the only course of action is to amputate the limb.

If you still think do not believe that smoking is responsible for any particular disease, think again. Buerger Disease only occurs in smokers and has never been reported in any non-smoker. It strikes people between 20 - 40 years of age and hits both men and women as well. So are you convinced now?

It is not worth to lose a finger, a foot or a life to smoking. Its not worth to live the rest of your life bed-ridden or crippled after a damaging stroke. Don't let smoking ruin your life. You can reverse the effects of circulatory damage and the best thing you can do about it right away is to quit smoking today. Don't wait till you lose your legs before you do.

Reference:
www.whyquit.net

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