Nine out of ten persons with peripheral vascular disease are smokers.
Smokers are close to eight times more likely to suffer an aortic aneurysm than non-smokers.
Women who smoke and are taking oral contraceptives are approximately 10 times more likely to develop a cardiovascular disease than women who do not. In addition, smoking has been associated with depression and psychological distress. Smoking, in addition to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes top the list as primary risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and is responsible for claiming the lives of 430,000 Americans each year. In fact, smoking has been classified as the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, eliminating smoking not only reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, but also reduces the risk of repeat heart attacks and death by heart disease by 50 percent.