Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), diseases caused by smoking kill more than 440,000 people in the United States each year. Even with antismoking campaigns and medical disclaimers in place, many people continue to smoke or start smoking every year. According to the American Cancer Society, most new smokers are children and teenagers, in many cases, replacing the smokers who quit or died prematurely from smoking-related diseases.

Smokers not only have increased risk for lung disease, including lung cancer and emphysema, but also have increased risk for heart disease, stroke, and oral cancer.Facts about smoking and cardiovascular disease

One out of every five smoking-related deaths is caused by cardiovascular disease.

Cigarette smoking produces a greater risk for coronary heart disease in people younger than age 50.

Women older than age 35 who smoke and take oral contraceptives are at much greater risk of developing a cardiovascular disease or stroke than women who do not smoke while taking oral contraceptives.

Cigarette smokers are two to four times more likely to develop coronary heart disease, or CHD, than nonsmokers.

Cigarette smoking doubles a person's risk for stroke.

Cigarette smokers are more than ten times as likely as nonsmokers to develop peripheral vascular disease, or PVD.