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Nicotine & smoking: the effect on the vascular system. Warning signs

Updated: Dec 6, 2022

Tobacco use is one of the most preventable causes of death worldwide [1].

Smoking increases an individual’s risk for a heart attack and stroke, as well as more long-term diseases such as kidney disease and impaired wound healing.


Nicotine, a chemical found in cigarettes, has a significant effect on the healthiness of the entire body’s circulatory system [2]. Damage to the circulatory system leads to many confounding diseases that either kill or permanently incapacitate an individual’s normal function and daily life [3].


What are the main effects of nicotine (and smoking) on my body?

Constriction of blood vessels

This means that your heart has to pump harder to compensate for the restriction in blood flow experienced, raising blood pressure and risk of other cardiovascular diseases [2].

Atherosclerosis

Smoking accelerates the process of atherosclerosis by increasing the stickiness of clotting factors in the blood and accelerating the hardening of blockages within the heart and vascular system.


Overtime, these areas will become blocked and lead to serious quality-of-life-changing conditions, such as:

  • Stroke (if this occurs in the brain)

  • Limb loss (if in the extremities)

  • Heart attack (if in the hearts arteries) [4]

  • Many more...

Infection and impaired wound healing

Smoking severely weakens the body’s ability to respond to infection and the repairing of wounds [5, 6]

Sexual dysfunction (WARNING SIGN)

Due to the damaging effects on the body’s circulatory system, smoking significantly affects the blood supply to the penis and compromises sexual function [7].


Noticeable changes in erectile dysfunction are warning signs for more serious consequences in other parts of the circulatory system [8, 9].

Spontaneous heart (chest) pain

Smoking increases the risk of coronary artery vasospasm, which is the spontaneous narrowing of the arteries that supply the heart. This causes a condition known as angina and is usually accompanies by extreme pain and a risk of a heart attack [10].

Promotes aneurysm bursts

Aneurysms are areas where the circulatory system bulges out, and they are usually undiagnosed. Smoking increases the risk for these aneurysms to burst, which, if untreated, can lead to death, especially when they are in the brain [11].

Thus, the majority of the effects that smoking has on the body are through the primary damage to the circulatory system. However, sometimes, we are unaware of the warning signs.


Some common questions smokers need to be aware off:

I am sitting down. Why am I experiencing chest pain?

Angina – smoking increases the risk for coronary vasospasm leading to angina (chest pain) or heart attacks. It is usually a sign that your coronary arteries are becoming blocked [10]

Why is it hard for me to get an erection?

Smoking damages and restricts the blood flow throughout the circulatory system. Erectile dysfunction is a common warning sign for more severe damage in other areas of the body [7-9]

Why am I more prone to infections?

Smoking weakens the immune system and impairs wound healing [6]

Why is my blood pressure constantly high?

Smoking increases blood pressure through constricting the blood vessels. This means the heart must beat harder than usual. This causes the heart to become enlarged and leads to the development of other cardiovascular comorbidities (other diseases) [12, 13]

Smoking causes many diseases throughout the body, as well as death. It is best to avoid or stop smoking as soon as possible.


“Let’s prevent disease, not treat it.”

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References:


[1] Samet JM. Tobacco smoking: the leading cause of preventable disease worldwide. Thorac Surg Clin. 2013;23(2):103-12.

[2] Benowitz NL, Burbank AD. Cardiovascular toxicity of nicotine: Implications for electronic cigarette use. Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine. 2016;26(6):515-23.

[3] Benowitz NL, Liakoni E. Tobacco use disorder and cardiovascular health. Addiction. 2022;117(4):1128-38.

[4] Howard G. Cigarette Smoking and Progression of Atherosclerosis. JAMA. 1998;279(2):119.

[5] Almadani YH, Vorstenbosch J, Davison PG, Murphy AM, editors. Wound healing: A comprehensive review. Seminars in Plastic Surgery; 2021: Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.

[6] Arcavi L, Benowitz NL. Cigarette Smoking and Infection. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2004;164(20):2206.

[7] Kovac JR, Labbate C, Ramasamy R, Tang D, Lipshultz LI. Effects of cigarette smoking on erectile dysfunction. Andrologia. 2015;47(10):1087-92.

[8] Kloner RA. Erectile dysfunction as a predictor of cardiovascular disease. International Journal of Impotence Research. 2008;20(5):460-5.

[9] Uddin SMI, Mirbolouk M, Dardari Z, Feldman DI, Cainzos-Achirica M, Defilippis AP, et al. Erectile Dysfunction as an Independent Predictor of Future Cardiovascular Events. Circulation. 2018;138(5):540-2.

[10] Sugiishi M, Takatsu F. Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for coronary spasm. Circulation. 1993;87(1):76-9.

[11] Qureshi AI, Sung GY, Suri MFK, Straw RN, Guterman LR, Hopkins LN, et al. Factors associated with aneurysm size in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage: effect of smoking and aneurysm location. Neurosurgery. 2000;46(1):44-50.

[12] Pardell H, Rodicio JL. High blood pressure, smoking and cardiovascular risk. J Hypertens. 2005;23(1):219-21.

[13] Tesfaye F, Byass P, Wall S, Berhane Y, Bonita R. Association of smoking and khat (Catha edulis Forsk) use with high blood pressure among adults in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2006. Prev Chronic Dis. 2008;5(3):A89.

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