Smokers are twice as likely as nonsmokers to have heart attacks. About 30% of all heart disease deaths are due to smoking. (1)
just the facts
In a national survey, only 29% of smokers said that they were at increased risk of having a heart attack. (2)
Sources 1. Barry J, Mead K, Nabel EG, Rocco MB, Campbell S, Fenton T, Mudge GH Jr. Effect of smoking on the activity of ischemic heart disease. Journal of the American Medical Association 1989;261:398-402. 2. Ayanian JZ, Cleary PD. Perceived risks of heart disease and cancer among cigarette smokers. Journal of the American Medical Association 1999;281:1019-1021.
definition
People have heart attacks because there's something wrong with their coronary arteries -- the blood vessels that provide the heart's blood supply. That something is a disease called atherosclerosis.
When atherosclerosis happens in the coronary arteries (the arteries that supply blood to the heart), it causes a type of heart disease called coronary heart disease. In people who have coronary heart disease, the coronary arteries become so narrow and damaged that they can easily be blocked by a blood clot or other debris. When a blockage like this occurs, the heart can't get enough blood and oxygen. As a result, a portion of the heart muscle becomes damaged. This is the event known as a heart attack. Heart attacks occur mostly in middle-aged or elderly people, but the arterial damage that causes them begins when people are much younger.
explanation
Several factors increase a person's chances of developing atherosclerosis and having a heart attack. They include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol levels, a family history of heart disease, and smoking.
Unfortunately, many smokers do not seem to be aware that their habit can damage their hearts. In a national survey, only 29% of smokers said that they were at increased risk of having a heart attack. (2) Actually, of course, 100% of them were at increased risk.
In addition to increasing a smoker's chances of developing coronary heart disease, smoking also decreases the effectiveness of some types of treatment for this disease. For example, smokers who have special treatments to open up or replace clogged blood vessels don't do as well after treatment as nonsmokers do; if they continue to smoke, their blood vessels are likely to clog up again. Smoking also decreases the effectiveness of some of the medicines that are used to reduce blood cholesterol levels.
