Monday, November 02, 2009

Cardiovascular effects of Secondhand smoke: new Institute of Medicine report

Appointed by: Alice Grainger Gasser | Project Manager | World Heart Federation | 7, rue des Battoirs | P. O. Box 155 | 1211 Geneva 4 | Switzerland | Phone +41 22 807 03 33 | Fax +41 22 807 03 39 | E-mail alice.graingergasser@worldheart.org | Web www.worldheart.org

Heart Disease and Stroke

Flash

Effects of Secondhand Smoke on the Cardiovascular System

Short flash animation that shows how secondhand smoke damages the cardiovascular system.

  • Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Cigarette smokers are 2–4 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than nonsmokers.
  • Cigarette smoking approximately doubles a person's risk for stroke.
  • Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries). Smokers are more than 10 times as likely as nonsmokers to develop peripheral vascular disease.
  • Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm.
  • Secondhand smoke exposure causes heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults.
  • Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their heart disease risk by 25–30% and their lung cancer risk by 20–30%.
  • Breathing secondhand smoke has immediate harmful effects on the cardiovascular system that can increase the risk of heart attack. People who already have heart disease are at especially high risk./.../

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