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Heart Disease and Stroke
- Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Cigarette smokers are 2–4 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than nonsmokers.
- Cigarette smoking approximately doubles a person's risk for stroke.
Flash
Short flash animation that shows how secondhand smoke damages the cardiovascular system.
- Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries). People who smoke have a much greater risk of developing peripheral vascular disease than nonsmokers.
- Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm.
- Secondhand smoke exposure causes heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults.
- Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their heart disease risk by 25–30% and their lung cancer risk by 20–30%.
- Breathing secondhand smoke has immediate harmful effects on the cardiovascular system that can increase the risk of heart attack. People who already have heart disease are at especially high risk.
Related Materials
Report
- October 2009 Institute of Medicine Report: Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects: Making Sense of the Evidence
Animation
- Cardiovascular Effects of Secondhand Smoke Exposure
(You will need to download the free Flash Player from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/)
Media Statement
Highlights from the 2004 Surgeon General's Report
Related Links
- CDC's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
-
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
-
American Heart Association
Links to non-federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the federal government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.
Contact Us:
- CDC/Office on Smoking and Health
4770 Buford Highway
MS K-50
Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3717 - 800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636)
TTY: (888) 232-6348
8am–8pm ET
Monday–Friday
Closed Holidays - tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
