Smoking and Its Effect on Your Heart, Arteries and Blood Vessels

It’s no secret that smoking harms your health. But you might not realize just how bad it is. Joyce Jacobs, a Nurse Navigator at the Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Institute at St. Elizabeth, explains how smoking severely damages the heart, blood vessels and arteries and leads to life-threatening conditions.

How Smoking Damages Your Heart and Vascular System

“Nicotine in any form can greatly harm the heart, lung and blood vessels,” says Jacobs. When you smoke, toxic chemicals enter your bloodstream and cause inflammation. Over time, this damage can cause the arteries to narrow, a process known as atherosclerosis. The disease can raise the risk of life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks and strokes.

In addition to heart disease, smoking contributes to peripheral artery disease (PAD). With PAD, plaque builds up inside and clogs the arteries that supply blood to your arms, legs, head and organs. “Even those who smoke occasionally or are exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for these serious conditions,” Jacobs says. 

Smoking also damages your heart, arteries and blood vessels in other ways.

• Blood pressure. Smoking causes a temporary increase in your blood pressure and heart rate. Over time, it can lead to chronic hypertension (high blood pressure). This condition strains the heart and arteries and increases the risk of heart disease.
• Cholesterol. Smoking lowers levels of HDL, the good cholesterol, and raises LDL, the bad cholesterol. This imbalance causes fat deposits in the arteries.
• Other effects. Smoking reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood, forcing the heart to work harder.

 Risk Factors for Heart Disease

In addition to smoking, other factors that contribute to an increased risk of heart disease include:

• Diabetes.
• High blood pressure (hypertension).
• High low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol.
• Obesity.
• Sedentary lifestyle.
• Unhealthy diet.

If you smoke or breathe in secondhand smoke and have one or more of these risk factors, your chances of developing heart disease increase even more.

Smoking Cessation: St. Elizabeth Can Help You Protect Your Heart

Now is the perfect time to take control of your health and protect your heart. Regardless of your age or health history, quitting smoking is a crucial step toward preventing life-threatening conditions like heart disease and stroke. And it’s never too late to quit.

Take charge of your health before it’s too late. Talk with your St. Elizabeth primary care provider about starting your journey to a tobacco-free life and accessing resources to quit smoking. Learn about the St. Elizabeth Freedom from Smoking program, a free, seven-week smoking cessation program designed to provide the tools, support and motivation you need to quit for good. Remember, quitting smoking protects your heart, arteries and blood vessels and can save your life.