Smoker and Heart Disease

Heart Attack may one of a history of heart disease in your family. Do you have also of high blood pressure? People who have one of the both problem and also smoke are putting themselves in a high risk category for having a heart attack at some time in their lives. The more they smoke, the greater their risk of having a heart attack, and at a younger age than nonsmokers. The excess risk of heart disease will disappear within two years after they quit, but as with lung cancer, it takes ten years after they quit smoking for their risk of heart attack to drop to that of nonsmokers.

Atherosclerosis
Smokers also share a high risk of developing atherosclerosis, and smokers who have survived a heart attack face an increased possibility of suffering another one. The risk of coronary heart disease in cigarette smokers is 1.5 to 2 times that of nonsmokers.

Smoking and the Pill
If a woman uses birth control pills and smokes as well, she runs a much greater chance than a nonsmokers of suffering from heart attack. The risk increase with the age, according to the Food and Drug Administration and with heavy smoking (fifteen or more cigarettes a day).

Smoking and other Health Problems
Heart disease and cancer are not the only disease people may develop if they smoke. "Cigarette smokers" have a higher prevalence of chronic bronchitis and emphysema than nonsmokers and have an increased chance of dying from these diseases compared to nonsmokers.

Tobacco may also cause allergic reactions in some people, particularly those who are allergic to other substances and suffer from asthma or rhinitis (inflammation of the nasal mucous membranes).