Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Cigarette smokers are 24 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than nonsmokers.
Cigarette smoking approximately doubles a person’s risk for stroke.
Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries). Smokers are more than 10 times as likely as nonsmokers to develop peripheral vascular disease.
Respiratory Disease & Other Effects
Cigarette smoking is associated with a tenfold increase in the risk of dying from chronic obstructive lung disease. About 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung diseases are attributable to cigarette smoking.
Cigarette smoking has many adverse reproductive and early childhood effects, including an increased risk for:
Low birth weight
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked. Women who smoke have an increased risk for hip fracture than never smokers.