Atherosclerosis And Cigarette Smoking

Smoking is a major cause of coronary heart disease. A year after leaving, the risk of an attack to the heart falls to approximately the half of a smoker.

Smoking more than doubles one’s chances of eventually having a heart attack and increases the chance of

This chronic disease is also known as atherosclerosis and is characterized as a fatty plaque build-up in arteries which blocks the blood flow to the vital organs in ours bodies; with the heart being the main target. This potentially life-threatening blockage results in starvation and deprivation of oxygen enriched blood and vital nutrients that are necessary for the heart to maintain proper function; and that is being able to pump blood efficiently. Typically, it is said that the process of heart disease may begin during childhood years of an individual’s life. In a healthy individual; our arteries start out smooth and elastic, allowing effortless blood flow to our hearts and throughout our bodies. As this cholesterol-laden plaque begin to accumulate within the walls of blood vessels (which may be caused by a poor diet, and lack of physical activity, or simply hereditary) the vessels become inflamed. With the body’s effort in healing itself, this destructing plaque begins to release substances such as lipoprotenins, calcium, and inflammatory cells throughout the bloodstream.

Imagine having such intense indescribable pain that is radiating through the chest area towards the arms, neck, and jaws that causes a black out. Now imagine waking up in a cold, stark white hospital room, machines hooked up everywhere making strange noises, and a Doctor speaking what sounds like a foreign language with their list of big words that include Myocardial Infarction, and angioplasty to name a few. Then the three most unnerving words come out of the Doctor’s mouth that would terrify even the most harden criminal, ‘the widow maker.’ After going over medical history after medical history, the determining factor for ‘the widow maker’ is cigarette smoking. Those that survive these heart attacks should count themselves extremely

The first review was from an article in The New England Journal of Medicine called: “Smoking and Mortality — Beyond Established Causes” written by several physicians. (Carter, 2015) It explains how the mortality rates are higher among recent smokers than people who have never smoked. This seems to be attributed to the 21 common diseases that maybe caused by cigarette smoking. Data was collected from group studies in the United States that followed smokers and non-smokers between 2000 and 2011. A study that included men and women who were age 55 or older. As a result, they found that the participant’s mortality rates were higher due to diseases that had not been formally recognized as being triggered by cigarette smoking.

In the United States, when a disease is rapid, many steps are taken to reduce causes and find cures for the disease; walks, fundraisers, commercials and research are held by those that are committed to assist in the elimination of these diseases and the treatment of the sick. The leading causes of death in the United States are heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic respiratory disease. The most deadly origin of disease is cigarette smoking. A cigarette contains many harmful chemicals that damage the smokers’ body as well as the people that surround the smoker. Its negative impacts regarding health carry more burdens than what some may say is the “positive” social outcome of smoking. Tobacco was originally used as a heavy sedative

Atherosclerosis is a disease in which fatty materials and plaque buildup on the inner lining of arteries. Arteries are blood vessels which carry rich blood to the heart and throughout the body. They’re lined by the endothelium, a thin layer of cells. The endothelium keeps blood flowing by keeping the inside of arteries smooth. However, when Atherosclerosis starts due to high blood pressure, smoking, or high cholesterol, it damages the endothelium. Atherosclerosis tends to happen throughout the body and arises when people grow older. This disease is mainly due to the deposition of fatty materials i.e., cholesterol, calcium and other substances found in the blood. The buildup of fat then hardens causing narrowing of the arteries. This

Chronic diseases are multi-causal and complex diseases; no single factor is responsible for its causes (WHO, 2015). Poor lifestyle behaviors like poor diet, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol and tobacco use are significant contributors in the development and progression of chronic diseases (Steyn, K., & Damasceno, A., 2006; Golubic, M., 2013). The continuity of these poor lifestyle behaviors throughout a person life can give rise to various chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, overweight, obesity. These chronic conditions if not treated and managed at time can lead to chronic diseases (Golubic, M., 2013).The amounts of evidence have shown that tobacco use in any form such as cigarrate smoking and chewing tobacco is associated with increase in the rates of hospitalization, complications, and mortality due to lung cancer (71%), chronic respiratory diseases (42%), heart diseases (10%), and various other types of cancers such as lip cancer, cancer of oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, lungs, uterus, cervix, bladder, and kidney cancer (Boffetta, P., & Straif, K., 200 9; Lind et al., 2010).

In the community assessment of San Fernando valley part, A, it was mentioned that there are many chronic illnesses such as heart disease, asthma, diabetes and obesity that are caused by poor health management, high cost of healthcare and inadequate knowledge of the disease. One factor that could cause these chronic diseases is the Tobacco usage among adults. According to Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) (2017), Smoking may cause cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, diabetes and COPD which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Arteries carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body. A thin layer of cells allows blood to flow easily and it’s called the endothelium. Atherosclerosis begins when the endothelium becomes damaged allowing bad cholesterol to build up in the artery wall. The body sends white blood cells to clean up the bad cholesterol but sometimes the cells get stuck at the affected site. Over time plaque can accumulate, made up of cholesterol, macrophages, calcium, and other substances from the blood. Can be fatal if not treated.

Tobacco addiction contributes to approximately 438,000 deaths in the United States each year2, with smoking cigarettes constituting one of the most common preventable causes of death, on report asserts3. Tobacco use kills five million people a year worldwide, another source stresses4. Quitting smoking, or at least reduction, for instance, could greatly reduce the occurrence of coronary heart disease and other forms of cardiovascular disease.1,5 These diseases that can be prevented or reduced include heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, thrombosis, coronary artery spasm, and cardiac arrhythmia.1

Smoking is responsible for 90% of lung cancer cases and is a risk factor for coronary disease, Alzheimer’s, abdominal aortic aneurysm, cataracts, and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Not smoking is one of the American Heart Association’s “Simple Seven” healthy behaviors. Research has identified nine lifestyle habits—including not smoking—that collectively may be more effective than taking medications: for example, lifestyle can reduce cardiovascular disease risk by 90%, compared to a 20-30% reduced risk from pharmacological therapies . Smoking used to be the #1 cause of death in the U.S., but diet has bumped smoking to #2. Some unhealthy foods expose the body to the same dangers as smoking. Cigarette smoke contains nitrosamines, a class

Atherosclerosis is a type of arteriosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis is a general term for the thickening and hardening of arteries. Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is a pathological situation in which plaque builds up inside the arteries. Plaque is usually made of cholesterol, fatty substances, cellular products, calcium and fibrin (a clotting material in the blood). Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular disease (CVD) around the world. The magnitude of this problem is so high that atherosclerosis claims more lives than all types of cancer combined and the financial burden are considerable1. It a complex, chronic pathological

American Heart Association (AHA, 2011) describes Cardiovascular Disease as innumerous problems, which are related to a process called atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is when the arteries of your body get constricted due to the accumulation of blood clot. This buildup in the arteries can make it harder for blood to flow through if a blood clot is formed (AHA, 2011). This irregularity can stop the blood flow and may lead to heart attack and stroke (AHA, 2011).

The Surgeon General has called it "the leading preventable cause of disease and deaths in the United States." Smoking is among the top preventable risk factors of heart disease amongst many other health problems. Coronary heart disease and strokes are the primary types of cardiovascular disease caused by smoking. They rank as the first and third leading causes of death in the United States. More than 61 million Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease. Smoking increases your risk for high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and aneurysms to name a few. More than 2,600 Americans die every day from cardiovascular diseases.