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Lecture Notes

The first entirely modifiable major risk factor for cardiovascular disease is cigarette smoking, and this is directly associated with about 20% of all deaths from cardiovascular disease. So why does smoking have such an impact on cardiovascular disease development? Well, we know that smoking can cause increased levels of your low density lipoproteins, or LDL cholesterols, and reduce high density lipoproteins, or good cholesterols, that contribute to a buildup up plaque in the arteries. We also know that nicotine, the stimulant in cigarette smoke, speeds up the heart rate and contributes too increased blood pressure. Carbon monoxide, the gas in cigarette smoke, reduces the amount of oxygen available to your heart and lungs and makes the heart work harder to pump blood throughout the body. But as we'll see in the next slide, the good news is that quitting smoking has almost immediate health benefits and decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease significantly.