How does nicotine affect your heart?

Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical found in cigarettes and all tobacco products. Tobacco plays a vital role in the causation of chronic diseases including oral cancer and other forms of cancers, lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and stroke. According to WHO, tobacco use is reported to cause 1.35 million deaths every year in India. Did you know, a myriad of tobacco products are available in India?.

How does nicotine affect heart health?

Any form of smoking tobacco, traditional cigarettes or e-cigarettes contains nicotine. Nicotine has a gamut of undesirable effects on health including the cardiovascular system. When an addict tries to quit nicotine, it causes withdrawal symptoms like irritation, depression, urge to smoke, sleeplessness etc. It is important to seek medical help at the right time. If you are addicted to nicotine use, visit the best cardiologist in Ranchi.

Effects of Nicotine on Heart:

Nicotine causes high blood pressure or hypertension which causes severe heart complications such as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis causes hardening and thickening of arteries leading to stroke or heart attack.

Nicotine causes an increase in heart rate or tachycardia, in which the heart beats so fast that it could not pump enough blood to the rest of the body. It puts the organs and tissues in an oxygen-deprived state and causes shortness of breath and light-headedness.

Nicotine puts you at a greater risk of developing atherosclerosis which is a life-threatening disease. In atherosclerosis cholesterol, calcium and other fatty substances are deposited along the lining of the arterial wall. The plaque formed by deposition builds up over time and obstructs the blood flow. This leads to coronary heart disease or ischemic heart disease.

Peripheral heart disease occurs when arteries cannot supply blood to major organs like the head or limbs. Plaque can break and form blood clots, also called a thrombus. The thrombus is displaced to other parts through the bloodstream and gets lodged in arteries supplied to major organs to form embolus.

This embolus hinders blood flow to the heart and leads to a heart attack. If it obstructs blood flow to the brain it is called a stroke. If it hinders the blood supply to limbs, tissue death occurs due to lack of blood supply and subsequently it turns into gangrene.

As you smoke, nicotine stays in your system for six to eight hours. If you smoke more than once a day, it means nicotine is lasting for more duration in the body, leading to more damage to internal organs.

According to studies, smoking causes irregular heart rhythm and the heart needs to work extra to function normally. Due to an increase in blood pressure, higher chances of stroke can be seen in smokers. Senior cardiologist Dr Rajesh Kumar Jha recommends patients with heart diseases or even diabetic patients should not come in contact if anyone is smoking.

Better late than never!

It is never too late and too hard to cease smoking or quit any form of nicotine. Quitting smoking can significantly lower the risk of repeated heart attacks in patients with ischemic heart disease. Studies show a decrease of up to 50% in smokers. Within 5 to 15 years of quitting the smoking risk of coronary heart disease and stroke lowers as that of nonsmokers.

It is a fact that cessation of smoking is beneficial for heart health and over the years risk of smoking-related heart diseases lowers drastically. Some ways are suggested by the best cardiologist in Ranchi to help you quit smoking if you are determined:

Some facts related to tobacco smoking:

Smokers die 13 -14 years earlier than non-smokers

Smokers are 2-3 times at higher risk of having heart attacks

Smokers have 3 times higher risk of sudden death

Smokers have 2 times higher risk of stroke

Apart from health hazards, nicotine addiction puts a staggering financial burden on nicotine users and their families.

With determination and planning, anyone can quit smoking addiction. Many chronic smokers have successfully gotten rid of nicotine addiction. It is important to take charge of our heart health, rather than smoking the effective years into the air.

To know more about heart health, visit the best cardiologist in Ranchi.

Dr Ravikumar Jha

Raj Hospital, Ranchi.

It is a cigar or pen-like device which contains a solution of nicotine instead of tobacco, flavours, and other harmful substances.

E-cigarettes are loaded with more nicotine than typical cigarettes so they are as harmful to the body as other forms of nicotine.