Smoking kills
It is generally observed that the most common cause of death among smokers is heart failure or other heart issues. It is estimated that chances of heart failure is more than double in smokers. Let us first observe, what is the composition of cigarette smoke:
Cigarette smoke contains over 7000 chemicals, including about 69 carcinogens (cancer causing agents), some other important chemicals are:
- Tar: Sticky residue that stays in lungs and damage them
- Carbon monoxide: An extremely poisonous gas, that binds irreversibly with red blood cells.
- Nicotine: It is an insecticide and causes addiction.
- Formaldehyde: It is an embalming agent, used to preserve dead bodies.
- Benzene: A component of crude oil.
- Arsenic: Poisonous metal.
- Ammonia: A household cleaner.
- Radioactive metals: like polonium 210.
The way in which cigarette smoke causes cardiomyopathy includes:
- Atherosclerosis: It involves plaque accumulation in blood vessels that supply blood to heart muscles.
- Reduced oxygen supply: Carbon monoxide makes red blood cells incapable of carrying oxygen, hence damages heart muscles (infarction).
- Cholesterol alteration: Smoking lowers HDL that is good cholesterol because it is the carrier of LDL (the bad cholesterol), so increases LDL which worsens atherosclerosis.
- Nicotine increases heart rate and blood pressure, persistent high heart rate fatigues and damage heart muscles, while persistent high blood pressure damages blood vessels and other organs.
