There is a link that the tobacco companies would prefer you did not connect. First, you need to understand that heart disease is a process. That is to say that you do not just develop heart disease, it is a process that has steps and a gradual progression. Certain criteria have to be met in order to develop a heart disease and that process is called Atherosclerosis. It is the build-up of plaque that forms gradually in your arteries and is narrowing the passages that blood needs to reach your heart. Coronary Artery Disease or CAD is killing hundreds of thousands of smokers every year.

Hiding In The Open

Nay, say the cigarette corporations. They are telling us that high blood pressure is the culprit and high cholesterol is the ringleader. Most of us already know the proven direct link between smoking and high blood pressure, what they do not want you to know is that smoking and high cholesterol are also linked. The fact is, they are linked quite intimately, a link they have been able to hide behind a smoke screen of other, well-known information, pun not intended. It does not matter how much smoke they blow, the information can be found on the Internet if you dig deep enough.

– The more you smoke, the worse your cholesterol number will be

– As your smoking years roll by, the effects on high cholesterol worsen

– If you inhale deeply, you affect cholesterol more severely than if you did not

– Passive smoke, also called second hand smoke, diversely affects your cholesterol levels

– A buried, 2004 study revealed that smoking affects cholesterol startlingly. Much more, in fact, than the researchers expected

– While the percentage of deaths linked directly to smoking and high cholesterol is high, there is good news. There is no evidence to suggest that the affect of smoking on cholesterol is permanent. When you quit smoking, your cholesterol should improve.

Smoking causes high blood pressure and worsens high cholesterol, all of which can lead to Coronary Artery Disease. One of the complications of CAD includes the dreaded, Angina. There are two main types of Angina,

– Angina pectoris presents itself during exercise or other activity. When the angina sufferer does anything strenuous like dancing or as swimming, they experience sudden attacks of chest pains that subside when they stop and calm down.

– Unstable angina can occur before activity and usually is more severe and lasts longer. What out for changes in the way your chest pain behaves as this could signal a fatal unstable angina heart attack.

Another complication of CAD is CHF, or congestive heart failure. Symptoms include:

– Short breath during normal activity
– Loss of appetite
– Nausea
– Inability to rest or breathe while lying down
– Confusion
– Nagging cough
– Swelling of feet, ankles, or legs
– Fatigue

Usually just called heart failure, CHF happens when the heart is unable to perform to peak capacity and finally gives out. Damage to other organs may occur first as there is insufficient blood, nutrients, and oxygen to maintain them. HIPAA Training includes topics on heart attack and basic CPR. Very often, simple changes in lifestyle are enough to a control heart condition and live a relatively active life.

Author Bio: For more information please visit our HIPAA HITECH website.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: heart failure,HIPAA Training ,cigarette,swimming,Coronary Artery Disease ,Atherosclerosis Tobacco Co