Leukemia (Blood Cancer)

Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death in the world it causes heart attacks, various types of cancers, and strokes. The number 1, 2, and 3 causes of death affect the heart and strokes and primarily are caused by effects on the arteries the two chemicals and cigarettes that stand out as the biggest problems are nicotine and carbon monoxide. Nicotine besides being addictive has very powerful effects on the arteries throughout the body, it raises blood pressure and is a vasoconstrictor in other words it makes arteries all over the body become smaller making it harder for the heart to pump through the constricted arteries and it causes the body to release its stores of fat and cholesterol into the blood hardening of the arteries is the process that develops over years when cholesterol and other fats deposit in the arteries leaving them narrow block or rigid when the arteries narrow blood clots are more likely to form this narrowing is called atherosclerosis.

Smoking accelerates the hardening and narrowing process in your arteries which puts you at a higher risk for heart attack stroke and limb loss. Cigarette smoking also has an effect on the coronary arteries and is a major risk factor for the development of athletic plaques that lead to heart attacks. Coronary artery vasospasm is a spontaneous narrowing of the coronary artery in the absence of exertion you experience this narrowing as chest pain or angina the narrowing of the coronary artery reduces blood flow to the heart muscle which can lead to a heart attack or what's called a marbled infarction if you were a car and smoker you have 20 times the risk of coronary artery basal spasm then if you are a nonsmoker smoking increases the likelihood of coronary thrombosis or blood and the arteries of the heart smoking does this by increasing the factors that lead to this disease.

For example, smoking causes platelets or clotting agents to become sticky smoking also has effects on the arteries of the brain and the arteries in the neck which lead to the brain which we call the carotid arteries this is what happens in the case of a stroke circulation gets cut off from the brain either through the narrowing or a blood clot the section of the brain that gets cut off suffocates and dies if this part of the brain controlled your speech you will not talk anymore if it controls some form of motor function these abilities will be lost and leave the patient impaired or crippled if the section of the brain affected some life-sustaining function the patient will die smoking also affects the arteries of the legs this is also called peripheral arterial disease blockage to the vascular supply the legs may lead to gangrene and amputation. This disease is found more often and more severely in smokers than in non-smokers the likelihood of pain in the legs with walking amputation and failure to successfully treat this disease is significantly higher among smokers, peripheral arteries going to the extremities are also highly susceptible to the Vase of constrictor effects of nicotine as well as the increase of clots posed by smoking.

Smoking is the primary cause of peripheral disease and limb loss, smoking also has an effect on sexual function for men in their 30s and 40s smoking increases the risk of erectile dysfunction by about 50%, erection can occur unless blood can freely flow to the end of the penis so the blood vessels have to be in good condition. Smoking can damage the blood vessels and cause them to degenerate nicotine narrows the arteries that lead to the penis reducing blood flow and the pressure of blood in the penis this narrowing effect increases over time so if you haven't gotten problems now things could change. Later if you continue to smoke, erection problems and smokers may be an early warning signal that cigarettes are already damaging other parts of the body such as the blood vessels that supply the heart.

Smoking also affects aneurysms prior studies have found that smoking can have a dangerous effect on aneurysms; smokers were more likely to develop aneurysms than non-smokers and these aneurysms were more likely to rupture when these large blood vessels rupture internal bleeding can occur this bleeding can be fatal within 48 hours after quitting smoking blood pressure decreases pulse rate drops body temperature of the hands and feet increases the carbon monoxide level in the blood returns to normal the oxygen level in the blood increases to normal and the chance of a heart attack, decreases nerve endings, start to re-grow and the ability to taste and smell is increased within the first year after quitting smoking circulation and lung function increase and coughing sinus congestion and shortness of breath.