Smoking and heart health
Smoking causes structural changes to the heart and the blood it pumps to the body and impairs their ability to function normally. As a result, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease and stroke, increases.
Smoking has many negative effects on the health of the body and heart, including:
- It damages the walls of the arteries and facilitates the buildup of plaque, which leads to blockages in the arteries.
- It lowers oxygen levels in the blood, forcing the heart to work harder to provide the body with the oxygen it needs.
- It reduces blood flow to the organs of the body, which leads to hardening or thickening of blood vessels and a weakening of their ability to contract and relax.
- Raises blood pressure and heart rate.
- It increases blood viscosity and cholesterol levels, which increases the likelihood of clots forming that may lead to strokes or heart attacks.
Repairing smoking damages
There is no doubt that the damage to the heart due to smoking is very great, but it is possible to repair this damage and improve heart health if you quit smoking of all kinds, whether cigarettes, hookahs or medwakhs.
- Just 20 minutes after stopping smoking, the heart rate and blood pressure levels in the body decrease.
- On the first day of quitting smoking, nicotine and carbon monoxide levels drop, and oxygen levels return to normal.
- There are many far-reaching benefits to quitting smoking. After one year, the risk of stroke drops by half compared to a smoker. And if a person stops smoking for 15 consecutive years, the possibility of a heart attack decreases dramatically, as if he had never smoked before.
What is coronary artery spasm?
Coronary artery spasm is a temporary constriction of an artery in the heart. The spasm can slow or stop blood flow through the artery. The main symptom experienced is chest pain. The structure of blood vessel walls is important in the regulation of blood flow.
Can smoking trigger angina?
Smoking destroys lung tissue, so blood leaving the lungs carries lower amounts of oxygen. Because there is less lung tissue, the heart also has to work harder — and uses more oxygen — to push the blood through the lung tissue that is left. Low blood oxygen to the heart muscles can lead to angina.
Is coronary artery spasm reversible?
Coronary artery vasospasm (CVS) is a transient and reversible vasoconstriction of the major epicardial coronary artery evoking myocardial ischemia (Figure 1).
Does coronary artery spasm show on ECG?
Coronary vasospasm is characterized by chest pain at rest with ST-T changes on electrocardiogram (ECG) and coronary angiography showing virtually normal coronaries.
Do heart spasms go away?
Coronary artery spasms are usually considered chronic, or long-term, conditions. This means that the condition will continue to occur and won't go away on its own. However, the outlook is generally good if you follow your treatment plan and avoid triggers.
Are heart spasms serious?
Coronary artery spasms that last a long time may lead to a heart attack. Call 911 immediately if you have any signs of a heart attack, including chest pain along with: Dizziness or lightheadedness. Fainting (syncope).
Can artery spasm be cured?
There is currently no single cure for a coronary artery spasm, but there are several ways to manage the condition and reduce the symptoms it causes. Quitting smoking is the most helpful lifestyle change a person can make to reduce the symptoms.
What does an artery spasm feel like?
It is chest tightness or pain caused by tightening of a heart artery. There can also be arm or jaw pain. These symptoms may occur spontaneously or due to cold weather, exercise or stress.
Can smoking cause coronary artery spasm?
Cigarette smoking is a strong risk factor in coronary artery spasm (CAS), a well-known endothelial dysfunction. CAS plays an important role in the pathogenesis of vasospastic angina (VSA) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS); it also seems to be associated with other adverse clinical outcomes.
What causes heart artery spasms?
Coronary artery spasm occurs most commonly in people who smoke or who have high cholesterol or high blood pressure. It may occur without cause, or it may be triggered by: Alcohol withdrawal. Emotional stress.
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