Smoking and Risk of Cardiac Disease Research Paper

Smoking and Risk of Cardiac Disease - Research Paper Example in that respect ar several(prenominal) risk figures for cardiac disease, some of which argon preventable. The most significant preventable factor is hummer. Several studies have associated dope with risk of cardiac disease. Infact, both passive and active smoking are associated with cardiac disease and hence in several countries in the world, smoking in public places has been banned. The specialised cardiac disease that is fountainatord by smoking is ischemic heart disease. While there are several views as to how smoking causes cardiac disease, most experts agree that there are several mechanisms through which smoking leads to the development of cardiac disease. Smoking is associated with many health-related problems and hence is a major health-related issue. It is a leading cause of illness and death all over the world. A smoker is at risk of developing cancers of the throat, mouth, lungs, bladder and esophagus and to a fault heart attack. Research has shown that smoking increases the risk of lung, throat and mouth cancers by 14 times, cancer of the esophagus by 4 times, chances of death through heart attack by cardinal times and chances of bladder cancer by 2 times (Bernstein, EmedicineHealth). Other health-related problems occurring due to cigarette smoking are emphysema, chronic bronchitis, peptic ulcer disease, pneumonia, cancer of the lip, cancers of the larynx and pharynx, malignancies of the abdomino-pelvic organs like pancreas, bladder and kidneys and also cancer of the cervix. Cigarette smoking can also increase the risk of burns (Bernstein, EmedicineHealth). In this essay, the federal agency of smoking in the development of cardiac disease will be discussed. This will be preceded by an overview of ischemic heart disease. The thesis statement in this essay is What is the relationship between smoking and cardiac disease? Ischemic heart disease or IHD or coronary heart disease is a co ndition in which there is oxygen deprivation to the muscles of the heart as a result of decrease blood flow and perfusion and is accompanied by inadequate removal of the products of metabolism (Zevitz, Emedicine). This is the most common sour of heart disease and a leading cause of premature death in the developed countries (Zevitz, Emedicine). The assay-mark feature of this condition is imbalance between the contribute and demand of oxygen of the myocardium which can occur every due to increased myocardial oxygen demand or decreased myocardial oxygen supply or both. It can manifest as one of these anginal discomfort, ST-segment deviation on ECG, decreased inspiration of technetium 99 or thallium 201 in images of myocardial perfusion and ventricular function impairment (Zevitz, Emedicine). ischaemia to the myocardium results from disease in the coronary arteries. The disease is most often due to formation of atheroma and its consequences like thrombosis. coronary arteries can be affected in other conditions also like aortitis, polyarteritis, certain connective tissue disorders and in some congenital anomalies like fistula, malformation of major coronary artery and anomalous origin of coronary artery (Mcpherson, Medscape). Atheroma, also known as atherosclerosis is nothing but patchy central disease of the intima of the artery. Of all the arteries in the body, coronary arteries are at increased risk of developing atheroma (Ross, p.443). The start out of these plaques occurs in the second or third decade and gradually progresses. Initially, the circulating monocytes migrate into the intima of the arteries and take up oxidised low density lipoprotein from the plasma. These cells then become lipid-laden foam cells (Mcpherson, Medscape). Once these foam cells die, the contents of the cells are released which are mainly lipids. These form fatty streaks. Smooth muscles cells of the artery migrate in and around the