Smoking and Tobacco Use

Smoking- may affect fertility, early/preterm delivery, low birth weight, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome/SIDS, lower bone density if post menopausal, hip fractures
Uncontrolled- major factor leading to heart disease, lung cancer, chronic lung disease, diseases of the heart and blood vessels, dehydration
Controlled-STOP

1 Million Americans- die of heart disease, stroke or related disorders;
40 million Americans have some form of these diseases
Higher Risk of Heart disease- High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol
Nicotine- makes the heart beat faster, heart is forced to work harder, needs more oxygen; carbon monoxide from the tobacco smoke decreases to oxygen carried in the blood to the heart
Stastics- Smoke 1 pack per day more than double the risk of heart attack than a nonsmoker; 1 pack per day triples the risk; increased risk if Africian American

Atherosclerosis- hardening of the arteries, build up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the arteries making the heart work harder to pump blood through the narrow blood vessels which causes heart disease and stroke
Peripheral Vascular Disease/PVD- narrowing of blood vessels which carries blood to the leg and arm muscles; if a blood clot can cause loss of leg or arm; diabetes is a major risk factor
Angina Pectoris- chest pain occurs due to the heart muscle having a lack of oxygen, this can also reduce the physical activity a person can do
Chronic Lung Disease- emphysema, bronchitis, respiratory disease
Birth Control- oral contraceptives and smoking increases risk of a heart attack
Cancer- lung cancer, 22 times greater in men, 12 times greater in women; lip, oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, pancreas, larynx, lung, uterine, urinary bladder, kidney

See your Physician-Nicotine replacement, non-nicotine medications/zylom
See RD- for help as needed
See FFF RD- on line for help
Best Treatment- abstaining, American Heart Association (1-800-242-8721), American Cancer Society (1-404-320-3333), American Lung Association (1-212-325-8799)