Smoking also interacts with other risk factors.
For example, if you smoke and also have high blood pressure, your risk of having coronary artery disease is greater than it would be by just adding the two risks. I've decided to finally quit smoking. If you do not already have high blood pressure, you will not get it from smoking. Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries occurs when there is a narrowing of the inner walls of the arteries through build up of fatty deposits. It decreases the movement of cholesterol through the body, and contributes to its accumulation in your coronary arteries.