Cor Vasa 2010, 52(9):500-505 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2010.136

Smoking and cardiovascular disease

Michael Aschermann^*, Aleš Linhart

II. interní klinika kardiologie a angiologie, Všeobecná fakultní nemocnice a 1. lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy, Praha, Česká republika

Smoking is an established risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis; active as well as passive smoking are involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis as well as its unstable forms, i.e., acute coronary syndrome. As is evident from the Czech Guidelines for Tobacco Addiction Treatment, smoking is the cause of one of five deaths throughout Europe and in the Czech Republic, resulting in an 18,000 deaths annually in the latter. The effect of smoking on the development of cardiovascular disease is mediated by a variety of mechanisms. These include genetic predisposition, altered endothelial vasomotor function, structural endothelial injury, changes in vessel wall compliance, changes in the lipid spectrum, changes in platelet function and thrombophilia, action of free oxygen radicals, decreased antioxidant levels, presence of inflammation and vessel wall infection. The review presents major concepts regarding the effect of smoking on the development of atherosclerosis and its complications as well as the above changes. A major concern is the prevalence of smoking among children, with 25% and 23% 15-year-old Czech girls and boys being smokers, respectively (with the country ranking second and fourth worldwide, respectively; data for 2009). Given the above facts, the Czech Society of Cardiology is determined to pay more systematic and closer attention to this issue than has been the case to date.

Keywords: Smoking; Cardiovascular disease; Pathophysiology

Published: September 1, 2010  Show citation