Can Smoking Cannabis Cause A Heart Attack
Studies on the effects of cannabis use on the body are generally short-term studies, so more research is needed for scientists to be able to make recommendations for patients with cardiovascular disease. In addition to that, the focus is also on potential interactions between cannabis and other medications like blood thinners, antidepressants, antipsychotics, antiarrhythmics, and statin drugs that lower cholesterol levels.
When talking about the connection between cannabis use and the potential of a heart attack, the AHA , will need more research in order to give a recommendation in regards to cannabis. Still, the AHA states that cannabis may influence heart health, and the CDCs position is that weed can affect the cardiovascular system as well as the heart rate and blood pressure.
One study done in 2001 by the Institute for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at Harvard Medical School in Boston found that smoking cannabis can result in an increased risk of a heart attack a few hours after cannabis use since it elevates the heart rate and blood pressure. The study states that cannabis use is a rare trigger of myocardial infarction. Other studies have also focussed on researching this subject, although as legalization laws increase, theres no doubt that more research will be done in the future.
Can Secondhand Smoke Increase My Risk For Coronary Heart Disease
While smoking is a direct cause of cardiovascular disease and death, you could be at risk even if you dont smoke cigarettes.
People who dont smoke cigarettes but who are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke have a 25 to 30 percent increased risk of coronary heart disease than those not exposed.6
In fact, 30,000 U.S. coronary heart disease deaths per year are caused by secondhand smoke.7 Secondhand smoke exposure also increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.6,7
How Smoking Causes Heart Disease
The major cardiovascular consequence of smoking is that it greatly accelerates the development of atherosclerosis . Smoking worsens atherosclerosis in several ways:
- Smoking increases LDL cholesterol blood levels and reduces HDL cholesterol blood levels.
- Tobacco products contain numerous toxic chemicals that can irritate the blood vessel wallsincreasing inflammation, and damaging and stiffening the vessel walls.
- Smoking increases adrenaline levels, which in turn raises blood pressure and cardiac stress, causing constriction of blood vessels.
- Smoking substantially increases the tendency of blood to form clots within blood vessels, thus increasing the risk of acute coronary syndrome the condition that produces heart attacks and unstable angina.
In addition to accelerating atherosclerosis, smoking tobacco has other damaging effects on the cardiovascular system:
- The nicotine in tobacco contributes to the increase in heart rate and blood pressure seen after smoking a cigarette.
- Smoking increases serum homocysteine levels, which is thought to cause vascular injury.
- Smoking increases carbon monoxide blood levels, reducing the bloods capacity to deliver oxygen to the tissues.
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Smoking And Increased Health Risks
Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.1
- Estimates show smoking increases the risk:
- For coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times1,6
- For stroke by 2 to 4 times1
- Of men developing lung cancer by 25 times1
- Of women developing lung cancer by 25.7 times1
What Are The Risks Of Secondhand Smoke
The CDC says about 34,000 nonsmokers die from heart disease each year from exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. Secondhand smoke is smoke exhaled by smokers. It also includes smoke from the burning end of a lit cigarette, cigar, or pipe.
Exposure to smoke poses health hazards to pregnant women, infants, and young children. Children and infants exposed to tobacco smoke are more likely to have ear infections and asthma. They are also at higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome .
These symptoms may be from exposure to secondhand smoke:
-
Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat
-
Excessive phlegm
-
Chest discomfort from lung irritation
The symptoms of secondhand smoke may look like other medical conditions and problems. Always see your healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
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Building Your Motivation To Stop Smoking
While 70 percent of smokers say they want to quit smoking, only about 20 percent report wanting to quit in the next 30 days. If you are not yet ready to quit, you can still take steps to move forward in the process. For example:
- Read information on the health benefits of quitting smoking. Make a list of the benefits that are important to you.
- Identify the risks of tobacco use that most concern you.
- Track the number of cigarettes you smoke each day to become more aware of your use of tobacco and to identify ways to limit your smoking.
- Talk with your doctor to learn more about available treatments for quitting.
- Talk with friends who have quit smoking and ask them how they did it.
- Make your home and car smoke-free zones. This will increase your awareness of your tobacco use, protect your friends and family from secondhand smoke, and support your efforts with quitting.
Risk Of Heart Attacks Is Double For Daily E
We just published “Association Between Electronic Cigarette Use and Myocardial Infarction” in American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Here is the UCSF press release describing the study:
Risk of Heart Attacks Is Double for Daily E-Cigarette Users New Analysis Shows Five-Fold Risk for People Who Use Both Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes Daily
Use of e-cigarettes every day can nearly double the odds of a heart attack, according to a new analysis of a survey of nearly 70,000 people, led by researchers at UC San Francisco.
The research also found that dual use of e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes the most common use pattern among e-cigarette users appears to be more dangerous than using either product alone. The study found that the risks compound, so that daily use of both e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes raises the heart attack risk five-fold when compared to people who dont use either product.
This is the first study to examine the relationship between e-cigarette use and heart attacks, and begins to fill the understanding of the effects of e-cigarettes on long-term health. The study was published Aug. 22, 2018, in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The data were first presented in February in Baltimore at the 2018 annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.
But the research also reported some good news if smokers quit:
The only way to substantially reduce the risk of a heart attack is to stop using tobacco, Glantz said.
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This Article Has Corrections Please See:
- Accepted 11 December 2017
Policy Implications And Future Research
Individual research studies on the effects of light smoking have occasionally appeared in the media. Examples include Even a cigarette a day is bad for your health in the New York Times in December 2016 and the BBCs Light smoking doubles sudden death risk in women in December 2012 governmental reports have also referred to this question.89 However, our paper is the first to combine results across many studies covering both coronary heart disease and stroke, making it a valuable reference that can be used to strengthen public health campaigns and to provide a strong health incentive for smokers to quit , rather than cut down. We also hope to raise more awareness of the subject among cardiovascular health professionals, primary care physicians, and smoking cessation specialists.
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Smoking And Respiratory Disease
Smoking can cause lung disease by damaging your airways and the small air sacs found in your lungs.1,2
- Lung diseases caused by smoking include COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.1,2
- Cigarette smoking causes most cases of lung cancer.1,2
- If you have asthma, tobacco smoke can trigger an attack or make an attack worse.1,2
- Smokers are 12 to 13 times more likely to die from COPD than nonsmokers.1
Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in your body:1,2
- Trachea, bronchus, and lung
Smoking also increases the risk of dying from cancer and other diseases in cancer patients and survivors.1
If nobody smoked, one of every three cancer deaths in the United States would not happen.1,2
Smoking Marijuana And Heart Attacks
The US has placed cannabis in Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, which means it can have a negative impact on our body and is likely to be misused. Several cannabis stakeholders have requested the US federal drug law enforcement agency DEA to remove cannabis from the banned drugs category. Despite criticism, marijuana also offers many health benefits. Its cannabinoids can also be extracted separately to seek distinct health benefits. In this article, we shall explain how smoking marijuana and heart attacks are interlinked.
Lets get started!
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Smokers Especially Those Who Start Young Face Higher Risk Of Early Death From Heart Disease
Smokers face nearly three times the risk of early death from heart disease and stroke compared to people who never smoked, according to new research that found smokers who began before age 15 had the highest risks.
Earlier research in Cuba found a link between childhood smoking and a higher risk for premature death overall. In this new study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, investigators set out to determine if the findings applied in other populations. They used U.S. National Health Interview Survey data from 390,929 adults, ages 25 to 74, collected between 1997 and 2014.
The researchers were surprised at how consistent the findings were with other studies, both in terms of the substantial risks associated with smoking and with the health benefits of quitting smoking, lead study author Blake Thomson, an epidemiologist at the University of Oxford in England, said in a news release.
The age at which a person begins smoking is an important and often overlooked factor, and those who start smoking at a young age are at especially high risk of dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease. However, quitting can substantially reduce that risk, especially for those who quit at younger ages. Getting people to quit smoking remains one of the greatest health priorities globally, he said.
But the data held some hope. Those who quit smoking by the age of 40 reduced their excess risk of early death from cardiovascular disease by about 90%.
How Smoking Tobacco Affects Heart Health
Cardiovascular disease is an umbrella term for diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels.
Since CVD refers to any disease involving the heart or blood vessels, most heart-related smoking issues fall into this category. But some conditions are causes of CVD, rather than types.
In terms of heart health, smoking can lead to:
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Smoking And Heart Disease And Stroke
Heart disease and stroke are cardiovascular diseases .1
Heart disease includes several types of heart conditions. The most common type in the United States is coronary heart disease . Coronary heart disease occurs when the walls of arteries that carry blood to the heart are narrowed by plaque, a process known as atherosclerosis.2,3This can cause:
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is blocked or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, causing parts of the brain to become damaged or die.7 Stroke can cause disability 7 or death.
Smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular disease and causes one of every four deaths from CVD.9 Smoking can:10
- Raise triglycerides
- Lower good cholesterol
- Make blood sticky and more likely to clot, which can block blood flow to the heart and brain
- Damage cells that line the blood vessels
- Increase the buildup of plaque in blood vessels
- Cause thickening and narrowing of blood vessels
Breathing secondhand smoke also harms your health. Secondhand smoke is the smoke from burning tobacco products.9,11,12 Secondhand smoke also is smoke breathed out by a someone smoking.11,12
Breathing secondhand smoke can cause coronary heart disease and stroke.10,11,12 Know the facts:9
In addition to your ABCS, several lifestyle choices can help protect your heart and brain health. These include the following:13,14
How Can I Avoid Relapsing
Don’t carry a lighter, matches, or cigarettes. Keep all of these smoking reminders out of sight.
If you live with a smoker, ask them not to smoke around you.
Don’t focus on what you are missing. Think about the healthier way of life you are gaining.
When you get the urge to smoke, take a deep breath. Hold it for 10 seconds and release it slowly. Repeat this until the urge to smoke is gone.
Keep your hands busy. Doodle, play with a pencil or straw, or work on a computer.
Donât do things that were connected to smoking. Take a walk or read a book instead of taking a cigarette break.
When you can, avoid places, people, and situations that you relate to smoking. Hang out with nonsmokers or go to places that don’t allow smoking, like the movies, museums, shops, or libraries.
Don’t substitute food or sugar-based products for cigarettes. Eat low-calorie, healthful foods or chew gum when the urge to smoke strikes so you can avoid weight gain.
Drink plenty of fluids, but limit alcoholic and caffeinated beverages. They can trigger urges to smoke.
Exercise. It will help you relax.
Get support. Tell others about your milestones with pride. Use your support group to help you get past problem situations.
Work with your doctor to develop a plan. You may use over-the-counter or prescription nicotine replacement aids.
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Smoking And Heart Disease Risk
The chemicals you breathe in when you smoke damage your heart and blood vessels in ways that increase the chances you will develop atherosclerosis. This increases your risk of having and dying from heart disease, heart failure, or a heart attack long term.
Atherosclerosis is when a waxy substance builds up in the arteries. Over time, that plaque hardens and narrows these blood vessels. This limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs, including your heart, and other parts of your body.
Smoking is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, a condition that happens when that plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply your heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood, which it needs to keep working properly.
The buildup of plaque also makes it more likely that blood clots form in your arteries. Blood clots can partially or completely block blood flow.
In short, smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease. Compared with nonsmokers, people who smoke are more likely to get heart disease or have a heart attack.
Smokings risks also impact your risk factors in other ways.
Quitting smoking benefits your heart and blood vessels and reduces your risk for heart disease. There are many strategies that aim to help you quit smoking and live a heart-healthy life.
Cardiovascular Risk Of Smoking And Benefits Of Smoking Cessation
Giuseppina Gallucci1, Alfredo Tartarone2, Rosa Lerose3, Anna Vittoria Lalinga4, Alba Maria Capobianco2
1 Department of Onco-Hematology, Division of Medical Oncology, 3 Pathology Unit, IRCCS-CROB Referral Cancer Center of Basilicata, Rionero in Vulture , Italy
Contributions: Conception and design: G Gallucci, A Tartarone Administrative support: None Provision of study materials or patients: None Collection and assembly of data: None Data analysis and interpretation: None Manuscript writing: All authors Final approval of manuscript: All authors.
Correspondence to:
Keywords: Cardiovascular diseases tobacco smoking secondhand smoke
Submitted Feb 05, 2020. Accepted for publication Feb 28, 2020.
doi: 10.21037/jtd.2020.02.47
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How Can I Quit Smoking To Protect My Heart
Although quitting smoking is difficult, it is achievable.
FDA-approved may be able to help you on your quit journey. NRTs are proven safe and effective to help you quit smoking by delivering measured amounts of nicotine without the toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke.
Many people who smoke find that FDA-approved NRTs helps them get through the first steps of quitting by reducing cravings and symptoms of withdrawal.
If you smoke cigarettes and are concerned about your heart and cardiovascular health, consult with your health care provider about NRTs or other ways to quit to help protect your heart.
Data Reveal Toll Of Vaping Researchers Say Switching To E
Contact: Nicole Napoli, [email protected], 202-375-6523
WASHINGTON –
Concerns about the addictive nature of e-cigarettesnow used by an estimated 1 out of 20 Americansmay only be part of the evolving public health story surrounding their use, according to data being presented at the American College of Cardiologys 68th Annual Scientific Session. New research shows that adults who report puffing e-cigarettes, or vaping, are significantly more likely to have a heart attack, coronary artery disease and depression compared with those who dont use them or any tobacco products.
Until now, little has been known about cardiovascular events relative to e-cigarette use. These data are a real wake-up call and should prompt more action and awareness about the dangers of e-cigarettes, said Mohinder Vindhyal, MD, assistant professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine Wichita and the studys lead author.
E-cigarettessometimes called e-cigs,vapes,e-hookahs,vape pens or electronic nicotine delivery systems are battery-operated, handheld devices that mimic the experience of smoking a cigarette. They work by heating the e-liquid, which may contain a combination of nicotine, solvent carriers and any number of flavors and other chemicals, to a high enough temperature to create an aerosol, or “vapor, that is inhaled and exhaled. According to Vindhyal, there are now more than 460 brands of e-cigarettes and over 7,700 flavors.
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