SMOKING EFFECTS

The effects of smoking on the body

Every year, the 31st of May marks the World No Smoking Day, an event initiated by the World Health Organization. Smoking is a major factor for atherosclerotic disease (coronary, carotid, peripheral), including passive smoking, being proven to increase cardiovascular risk, and electronic cigarettes are not without toxicity at all. The cardiovascular risk is all the greater as the onset of smoking occurs before the age of 15. Stop Smoking .

The mechanisms by which smoking increases the cardiovascular risk are: increase in total cholesterol, decrease in HDL cholesterol, platelet and leukocyte activation, increase in circulating fibrinogen, endothelial dysfunction promoting the cracking of vulnerable plaques, increase in heart rate and blood pressure, arterial vasoconstriction (including coronary spasm), worsening effects of myocardial ischemia due to carbon monoxide. 

Stopping smoking is an effective method of reducing cardiovascular risk. In primary prevention, it has been proven that stopping smoking decreases the risk of AMI or stroke, and in secondary prevention, it decreases mortality in patients with ischemic heart disease.

 Smoking cessation is mandatory, so it must be encouraged in all patients. The reduction of cardiovascular mortality after stopping smoking is approximately 50% in the first 5 years and tends to be close to that of the non-smoking population after 10-15 years.

 The recommendations regarding smoking cessation are the following and must be applied consistently:

 Patients are asked about their smoking status at each medical visit Patients are advised to give up their smoking status at each medical visit The patient's desire to give up smoking status must be encouraged The patient must be assisted in developing a plan to give up the status of a smoker The patient must be referred to specialist consultation and counseling, including pharmacological (nicotinic substitutes, bupropion) in order to give up the status of a smoker The patient must avoid exposure to cigarette smoke at home and at work There are many ways and resources to help people quit smoking. It is a long process and quitting smoking is not easy. Motivation is very important and the benefits of quitting smoking are enormous for our health.



The effects of smoking are devastating for health.

It seems that every cigarette smoked shortens life by 8 minutes. Cigarettes are addictive and habitual, they affect the nervous system, arteries, respiratory and circulatory system. The majority associate the harmful effects of smoking with lung cancer, without thinking about other forms of cancer, namely laryngeal, bladder, lip or gastric cancer.