Smoking and Heart Disease 

• Coronary heart disease and stroke are the primary kinds of heart disease caused by smoking.

• Smoking causes heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.

• More than 2,600 Americans die every day because of cardiovascular diseases, about 1 death every 33 seconds.

• Cigarette smokers are 2-4 times more likely to develop heart disease than nonsmokers.

• Smoking has been linked with sudden cardiac death of all types in both men and women.

• In addition to heart disease, smoking doubles a person's risk for stroke.

• Cigarette smoking harms circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries).

• Smokers are more than 10 times more likely to develop peripheral vascular disease compared to nonsmokers.

• Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm.