Biological Effects and Disease

Circulatory Damage from Smoking

Smoking has been proven to cause many respiratory diseases and conditions that could be potentially fatal. Since the circulatory system is closely linked with the heart, many of the circulatory diseases also are linked to heart diseases. There is no cure for heart disease and it is responsible for killing 2,500 people every day.
Smoking also causes atherosclerosis, when fatty deposits build up inside the carotid artery. This can lead to the blood vessels stiffening and rupturing. Smoking can also trigger blood platelets, the cells responsible for forming scabs on cuts, to form blood clots inside the body.
Due to the lack of oxygen in the blood caused by smoking, blood circulation will often be poor to the extremityies. A lit cigarette contains carbon monoxide, molecules that will compete with oxygen inside the lungs to find a way into the blood stream. Carbon monoxide will decrease the level of oxygen in the blood and can cause coronary heart disease and later on death. This leads to the organs of the body to suffocate and have permanent and lasting damage.

Tar from a cigarette also clogs up the alveoli in the lungs. The main function of the alveoli is to diffuse oxygen into the bloodstream. A person that smokes one pack of cigarettes a day for a year does the same damage as smearing one cup of tar on their lungs. Although some circulatory damage can be repaired, damage that becomes too extensive inevitably leads to the death of the patient. Having less oxygen in the blood stream also raises blood pressure because the nicotine from tobacco constricts blood vessels, making it harder for blood to flow.