Effects of smoking on cardiovascular system

Introduction.
Cigarette smoke is a toxic mix of more than 7,000 chemicals 1 and, when
inhaled, can interfere with important processes in the body that keep it
functioning normally. One of these processes is the delivery of oxygen-
rich blood to your heart and the rest of your body. When you breathe
in air from the atmosphere, the lungs take in oxygen and deliver it to
the heart, which pumps this oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body
through the blood vessels. But when you breathe in cigarette smoke,
the blood that is distributed to the rest of the body becomes
contaminated with the smoke’s chemicals. These chemicals can
damage to your heart and blood vessels, which can lead to
cardiovascular disease (CVD).
CVD is a generic term referring to multiple conditions affecting the
heart or blood vessels. Some of these conditions include:

 coronary heart disease

 hypertension (high blood pressure)
 heart attack
 stroke
 aneurysms
 peripheral artery disease

Nicotine
Introduction
Nicotine is the primary alkaloid derived from tobacco leaves, and is the
substance in tobacco responsible for the addictive properties of
smoking. However not primary cause of smoking related diseases.  
Nicotine is extracting from the leaves of tobacco by burning or heating
the leaves cause release of this chemical. Cigarettes contain 1–2 per
cent nicotine, or approximately 10–20 mg of nicotine.
Addictive action of Nicotine:
Once nicotine inhaled its takes matter of seconds to absorb into the
blood streams, where it travel directly to the brain. The addictive action
of nicotine is on the area of brain called reward pathway. Once nicotine
reach to this area it bind to specific receptors called nicotine receptor
present on the surface of neuron. Once nicotine bind to nicotine
receptor activate the reward pathway in the brain releasing dopamine.
( the feel good chemical)
Cardiovascular effects of nicotine
Nicotine causes your blood vessels to constrict or narrow, which limits
the amount of blood that flows to your organs. Over time, the constant
constriction results in blood vessels that are stiff and less elastic.
Constricted blood vessels decrease the amount of oxygen and nutrients
your cells receive. To meet the need for more oxygen, your heart rate
may increase. An increased heart rate, an enlarged heart and stiffer and
less elastic blood vessels make it harder to pump blood and provide the
body with the needed oxygen and nutrients. These changes in the
structure and function of your blood vessels and heart increase your
risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
Vascular function
Introduction
The vascular system, also called the circulatory system, is made up of
the vessels that carry blood and lymph through the body. The arteries
and veins carry blood throughout the body, delivering oxygen and
nutrients to the body tissues and taking away tissue waste matter. The
lymph vessels carry lymphatic fluid (a clear, colorless fluid containing
water and blood cells). The lymphatic system helps protect and
maintain the fluid environment of the body by filtering and draining
lymph away from each region of the body.
Effects of smoking on vascular function:
cigarette smoke change your blood chemistry and causing plaque a
waxy substance comprised of cholesterol, scar tissue, calcium, fat, and
other material to build up in the arteries, the major blood vessels that
carry blood from your heart to your body. This plaque buildup can lead
to a disease called atherosclerosis. When the chemicals in cigarette
smoke cause atherosclerosis and thickened blood in the arteries, it
becomes more difficult for blood cells to move through arteries and
other blood vessels to get to vital organs like the heart and brain. This
can create blood clots and ultimately lead to a heart attack or stroke,
even death.
Effect of smoking related to lipid metabolism
Tobacco smoke, and specifically nicotine, has a significant effect on lipid
metabolism and the regulation of lipid levels in the blood. Cigarette
smoke promote atherosclerosis, via affecting lipid profile. Smoking is
associated with increase in total cholesterol and triglycerides
concentration in serum. Smoking affect the tendency for low density
lipoprotein and very low density lipoprotein. These changes affect
level of cholesterol. So cholesterol level be high in smokers raise risk
for heart disease and stroke. On the other hand, smoking lowers serum
concentrations of high-density lipoprotein ( cholesterol, a powerful
protective factor against the development of atherosclerosis. The
difference is usually small, 5 mg/dl or less, but this difference
represents a 10% decrease and would be expected to affect
atherogenesis to a significant degree.