BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES - Universitatea de Medicină şi Farmacie

Smoking
Smoking is a major cause of heart and blood vessel disease. The
American Heart Association has named cigarette smoking as the most
dangerous of the modifiable risk factors. Overall, smokers experience a
70% greater death rate from heart and blood vessel disease than
nonsmokers; and heavy smokers (two or more packs per day) have a death
rate two to three times greater than nonsmokers. Inhaling cigarette smoke
produces temporary effects on the heart and blood vessels. The nicotine in
the smoke increases blood pressure, heart rate, and the amount of blood
pumped by the heart and the blood flow in the vessels in the heart. Other
effects include narrowing of the vessels in the arms and legs. Nicotine is
not the only bad element in cigarette smoke. Carbon monoxide gets in the
blood which reduces the amount of oxygen available to the heart and all
other parts of the body. Cigarette smoking also causes the platelets in the
blood to become sticky and cluster which can harm the heart and blood
vessels. No cigarettes are considered safe. Many smokers who have
switched to low tar and low nicotine cigarettes smoke more or inhale more
deeply to make up for the decreased nicotine. By inhaling more deeply,
smokers may increase their risk of disease. Regardless of how much or
how long you have smoked, when you quit smoking your risk of heart and
blood vessel disease gradually decreases.
Finnish researchers report that men who smoke not only die
younger but they have a poorer quality of life than those who never
smoked. "An especially large negative effect was seen for heavy smokers
[more than 20 cigarettes daily], who lost about 10 years of their life
expectancy, and those who survived experienced a significant decline in
their quality of life," said lead researcher Dr. Arto Y. Strandberg, from the
University of Helsinki. The report was published in the Oct. 13 issue of
the Archives of Internal Medicine. For the study, Strandberg's team
collected data on 1,658 men born between 1919 and 1934 and interviewed
in 1974. Over 26 years of follow-up, 372 men had died. Men who had
never smoked lived an average of 10 years longer than men who smoked
more than 20 cigarettes a day, the researchers found. Non-smokers also
scored better on quality-of-life measures, compared with smokers.
"Especially significant differences were seen in physical functioning,
general health, vitality and bodily pain," Strandberg said. "The impairment
of the physical functioning score of smokers was equal to a 10-year age
difference in the general population." Quality of life was worse even
148