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Smoking among adults: coronary heart disease and stroke

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and has negative health impacts on people during all stages of life. Smoking harms unborn babies, infants, children, adolescents, adults and seniors and has been associated with sudden cardiac death of all types in both men and women. Statistics show that one out of every six deaths in this country is related to smoking. Coronary artery disease and stroke - the primary types of cardiovascular disease caused by smoking - are the first and third leading causes of death in the United States.

Smoking-related coronary heart disease contributes to congestive heart failure. An estimated 4.6 million Americans have congestive heart failure and 43,000 die from it every year. Toxins found in the blood from smoking cigarettes contribute to the development of atherosclerosis, a progressive hardening of the arteries caused by the deposit of fatty plaques and the scarring and thickening of the artery wall. Inflammation of the artery wall and the development of blood clots can obstruct blood flow and cause heart attacks or strokes. In 2003, an estimated 1.1 million Americans had a new or recurrent coronary attack.

Cigarette smoking is a major cause of strokes. The incidence of stroke in the United States is estimated at 600,000 cases per year, and the one-year fatality rate is about 30 percent.

The good news is that even for long-term smokers, quitting smoking carries major and immediate health benefits. When smokers quit, their bodies start to repair immediately. For example, former smokers have the same stroke risk as nonsmokers five to 15 years after quitting. Other remarkable changes that happen within just days of quitting include:

• After one day, the odds of having a heart attack begin to drop
• After two weeks, lung function increases by up to 30 percent
• After one year, excess risk of coronary heart disease is cut in half
• After fifteen years, the risk of a heart attack is the same as someone who never smoked

 

How to Stop
Carol Southard, R.N., M.S., Smoking Cessation Specialist for Northwestern Memorial Wellness Institute, leads both group and individual smoking cessation programs to help smokers to stop smoking. To sign-up for a group program call (877) 926-4NMH (4664). To sign-up for an individual program, call (312) 926-2069.

Kim R. Lebowitz, Ph.D., director of Cardiac Behavioral Medicine service offers both group and individual smoking cessation programs to help smokers to stop smoking. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (312) 695-4965.

Risk factors that can be modified include:

• High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart and vascular disease
• The American Heart Association has identified tobacco use to be the single most important risk factor for heart and vascular disease.
• High blood pressure raises your risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.
• Lack of regular exercise (sedentary lifestyle) increases your risk for heart and vascular disease
• Heart and vascular disease occurs at an earlier age and progresses faster in persons with diabetes.
• Excess Weight can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes and elevated cholesterol levels.
• Depression increases the likelihood that cardiovascular disease will develop and it predicts poorer recovery following a cardiac or vascular event. Depression also makes it more difficult to stop smoking and to engage in a healthy lifestyle.
• Stress can lead to increased heart rate and blood pressure and overeating.

Review Date: 01/07