Smokers — You Might Be Suffering From Unknown Heart Diseases!

Smokers — You Might Be Suffering From Unknown Heart Diseases!

Smoking has always been directly linked to cardiovascular diseases.

But smokers don’t realize that they are at a huge risk of heart diseases unless they suffer from a heart attack or stroke themselves. Smoking already has a drastic effect on the lungs, mouth, and other organs.

Any delay in the identification and treatment of such deteriorating conditions can lead to serious repercussions. In this blog, we will discuss the various demerits of smoking and how it affects the heart.

Why Is Smoking Harmful?

According to a recent study, about 1 in 5 men and 1 in 10 women who smoke regularly are most likely to die of cardiovascular disease. Most of these habitual smokers are not even aware of their heart condition.

People who smoke and die of heart disease are much more likely to be oblivious of their cardiovascular conditions than non-smokers, specifically when they are young.

Do you know?

The highest death rate by cardiovascular diseases is amongst young adults (the ones who are in their twenties or thirties) and smoke regularly. Middle-aged individuals who smoke have an 80% chance of dying of cardiovascular disease.

30% of older people who smoke die of heart disease.

Smoking Affects Your Blood Vessels The chemicals released by tobacco smoke are extremely harmful to the heart.

They can also cause significant damage to the structure and functioning of your blood vessels.

There are a lot of deadly diseases that are solely caused by smoking.

Atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is a condition where a wax-like plaque builds up in the arteries.

As time passes, the plaque tends to harden and shrink your arteries —leading to hindrance in the blood flow and movement of oxygen molecules. This results in organ failure as there is a lack of enough blood at the right pace.

Peripheral Artery Diseases Peripheral Artery Disease or as commonly known as P.A.D. is the buildup of plaque in the arteries of the legs, arms, and pelvis — resulting in the reduced blood flow to those parts of the body.

Secondhand Smoke Secondhand Smoke is the combination of (i) Smoke from the burning end of a cigarette, and, (ii) The Smoke exhaled by smokers. Secondhand Smoke is just as dangerous as the initial smoke emitted by the smoker, himself, as it has the same amount of deadly chemical compositions.

Respiratory Distress Syndrome Respiratory Distress Syndrome is mainly caused by secondhand smoking.

Secondhand smoking has a major effect on an individual's heart health — especially the ones with RDS (Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome).

Quitting Smoking

It is a tough journey for regular smokers to quit, even if they are fully aware of their health conditions. Smoking, or any other addiction, creates an illusion in the mind about that particular substance — that the body cannot function without consuming that specific matter.

Quitting an addiction is not a cakewalk. But, everything can be achieved with consistency and the right guidance. There are multiple benefits of quitting smoking, including better coronary health.

Benefits of Quitting The best possible way of reducing your risk of coronary heart disease is to quit smoking. If you haven’t smoked before, never do it.

If you do smoke, quit it right away. No matter how long you have been smoking, you can always quit and it will always profit you.

There are several advantages of quitting, including: • Lesser Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases • Lower Rate of Birth Defects caused by Smoking • Better Cardiac Health • Decreased Risk of Developing Atherosclerosis and Blood Clots How to Quit Smoking?

It is not easy to quit an addiction, but as stated above, anything can be achieved with determination. Start by finding a motivation to quit smoking. Make a list of reasons why you want to quit smoking, and what is stopping you from doing so.

Realize what you are losing by not quitting, and what you will gain when you quit.

Try the “Cold Turkey” method of quitting. Don’t quit all at once. Reduce your smoking habits — day by day and gradually skip some months, and then quit it completely. It is much easier to accomplish when you try it.

Also, try to refrain from inhaling secondhand smoke as well. Avoid going to places where smoking is allowed. Ask your friends and relatives to not smoke while you are around. Try to convince people to quit smoking, too!

Conclusion First-Hand smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke is extraordinarily dangerous to your heart, blood vessels, and other organs in multiple ways.

Smoking also plays a significant role in developing cardiovascular diseases and even leads to death by heart diseases.

It takes minimum effort to quit smoking or avoid secondhand smoke and reverse the damage done by the same.

Quitting smoking can be excruciating but pays off well in the end when you get the right guidance. Want to enhance your heart health?

Contact Corrielus Cardiology. At Corrielus Cardiology, the team values the strong correlation between heart health and overall wellness. Our practice aims to educate the community on how good lifestyle choices and routines can build stronger, healthier families.

Source: Smokers — You Might Be Suffering From Unknown Heart Diseases! www.corrieluscardiology.com Contact Us