Yesterday I started to describe the effects nicotine and carbon monoxide had on the heart. The slides I used above were showing what happens to the coronary arteries if blood clots form cutting off circulation to the heart. Cigarette smoking increases risks of blood clots significantly. If the blood clots in an artery and blood can no longer get through, the tissue that is supposed to be supplied with blood has lost the source of its oxygen and nutrients and dies in minutes. But clots are not the only way these arteries can be blocked. Another way is by clogs.
As opposed to clots where the blood actually coagulates and becomes an obstruction, clogs are where deposits of fat gradually build up. In the first picture below you can literally see the start of a artery getting a fat buildup.
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Over time, this opening can get narrower and blood flow gets more and more impeded. This of course adds to the workload of the heart to pump through smaller arteries with increased resistance. But this clogging does not only happen to the coronary arteries, it literally happens all over the body. Remember, nicotine is not only a vasoconstrictor, making arteries go into constrictions every time it is administered, but it also causes the body to release its own stores of fat and cholesterol. Besides this, carbon monoxide has an effect that makes the fat stick to the arteries. The reason is carbon monoxide lowers the oxygen level of the blood (hypoxia) and hypoxia seems to have an effect making fat stick to artery walls.
Eventually over time arteries can become totally blocked with fat as seen in the slide below.
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As in the case with a clot, blood cannot get through and the body part that was contingent on that blood supply for survival is lost. If this artery lead to your heart as in the case of the clotted coronary arteries above, the result would be a heart attack with a loss of heart muscle that if large enough would be fatal. But the heart is not the only organ affected this way. Another common site of problems are the arteries leading to the brain. Below is a picture of the base of a health human brain.
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The arteries to the brain are very small here and clear, very difficult to see in fact. The arrows are pointing them out. To see them clearer here is a close up shot of these arteries...
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Again note, these arteries are very thin and clear. Smoking increases the fat deposits to these arteries so often, instead of looking like this, they can look like the slide below...
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With the fat build up the arteries are much easier to see. But this build up if complete cuts off circulation to your brain and as is the case with the heart, the part of the brain that no longer gets circulation dies. This is what happens in the case of a stroke. Circulation gets cut off from the brain either through a clog or a blood clot. The section of the brain that gets cut off suffocates and dies. If this part of your brain controlled speech, you will not talk anymore, if it controlled some form of motor function, these abilities will be lost and leave the patient impaired or crippled. If the section of the brain affected controlled some life sustaining function, the patient will die, again, within minutes of when the circulation cut off is complete.
The clogging and clotting effects of nicotine and carbon monoxide are the primary reasons why smokers are at such a higher risk of this condition. But this clogging/clotting effect is not limited to just major organs like the heart or brain. These chemicals affect arteries throughout the entire body. Next time I will get into some of these other areas. These affects may not be as deadly as cutting off circulation to the heart or brain, but in a real way they can show the true potential of the grip of the nicotine addiction.
It is so important to see cigarettes for what they really are and what they were doing to you. The more you understand the more you can appreciate the gift that you have given yourself by making yourself nicotine free. Remember to reduce the risks of all of these problems, as well as cancer and lung conditions and other problems I will deal with over time, always stay focused on the importance that to stay free from smoking and reduce your risks of all of the complications you must know to never take another puff!
Joel