Smoking cessation is one of the important step in prevention of heart attack. Smoking has several effect on the risk factors for heart attack. Smoking increases the heart attack risk 6 fold in women and 3 fold in men. It is the most important modifiable heart attack risk factor and a preventable cause of death due to heart attack.
Adverse effect due to smoking is
1. Dose dependent.
2. More for high tar than low tar cigarettes
Effects of smoking on coronary risk factors are given below.
1. Smoking causes increase in blood pressure
2. It decreases the good cholesterol that is HDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol will protect from heart attack.
3. Smoking predispose the blood clotting which is the key factor in heart attack.
4. Reduce the effective lysis or removal of clot.
5. Increase the fibrinogen and C-reactive protein both of them are risk factors of heart attack.
6. Smoking change the function of wall of blood vessel thus predispose to clot formation.
7. Smoking causes spasm of blood vessels and thus reduce the blood supply.
8. It causes increase in heart rate.
9. There is increased risk of recurrent infection of oral cavity and lungs.
Following cessation of smoking, there will be immediate beneficial effect in people of all age groups. Smoking cessation thus help to reduce the heart attack incidence. But the problem is that smoking cessation is very difficult.
