- Smoking Causes Heart Disease - Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease
and Right Sided Heart Failure
There are two ways smoking causes heart disease.
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or
hardening of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, causes coronary heart disease and is one of the main causes of a
heart attack. Additionally pulmonary hypertension secondary to the smoking disease of emphysema or
COPD, will eventually cause right sided heart failure, also known as cor pulmonale.
Atherosclerotic Heart Disease
Atherosclerotic heart disease is also referred to as coronary heart disease. The term coronary means
"circling as a crown would circle the head". The term is a reference to
the anatomical position of these blood vessels as they circle the heart like a crown.
The term coronary has become synonymous with anything pertaining to the heart. Even a heart attack is commonly referred to as
"having a coronary".
The evidence is well established that smoking causes heart disease by contributing to the
development of
atherosclerosis disease.
The blood vessels that supply
blood to the heart muscle itself are not immune from this disease process.
As atherosclerotic heart disease develops the coronary blood vessels become narrower and narrower, and
it becomes more and more difficult
for the heart muscle to get the oxygen rich blood it needs to remain strong and pump effectively.
The decreased coronary circulation that results from these blockages can lead to angina and heart
attacks.
A heart attack occurs if the blood supply to the heart muscle is suddenly stopped. This might happen
if an atherosclerotic plaque in
one of the coronary blood vessels ruptures and releases a clot. Without adequate oxygen supply
heart muscle will die.
In fact a blockage of one of the coronary blood vessels from a
ruptured atherosclerotic plaque is one of the main
causes of a heart attack.
Right Sided Heart Failure
One of the main harmful smoking effects on the lungs is the development of pulmonary
hypertension secondary to the smoking disease of emphysema.
Because of changes occurring in the lung tissue the pressure in the pulmonary arteries increases
and as a result the right side of the heart has to pump against more and more resistance in order to get
blood into the lungs so they can pick up oxygen.
Over time the right side of the heart gets larger and larger and eventually becomes less efficient
as a pump. This leads to right sided heart failure.
Cor pulmonale is the term used to describe this type of congestive heart failure caused by
pulmonary hypertension.
To summarize, smoking causes heart disease by contributing to two main smoking diseases:
Atherosclerosis disease: when this disease process affects the
coronary circulation it is called atherosclerotic
cardiovascular disease. Blockage of the coronary blood vessels leads to insufficient
oxygenation of the heart muscle.
This is one of the main causes of heart attacks and other heart diseases such as coronary insufficiency
and angina (or chest pain).
The purpose of the information provided here is to help you cooperate with your doctor and other
health practitioners. It is not intended to take the place of medical advice and you are encouraged to
discuss health concerns with your physician or a professional health care provider who is
familiar with you and your unique personal health context.
