Cigarette smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease by itself and by acting with other risk factors to greatly increase risk. Cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor for both young men and women. It produces a greater relative risk in persons under 50 years of age than in those over 50 years old. Women who smoke and use oral contraceptives greatly increase their risk of coronary heart disease and stroke compared with nonsmoking women who use oral contraceptives. Cigarette smoking combined with a family history of heart disease also seems to greatly increase the risk.
Studies have shown cigarette smoking is an important risk factor for stroke.
Inhaling cigarette smoke produces several damaging effects to the cardiovascular system. For women, taking oral contraceptives and smoking increases the risk of stroke many times. This is probably because they're less likely than cigarette smokers to inhale the smoke. There is very little scientific information on cigar and pipe smoking and cardiovascular disease at this time. Several studies already document the health hazards posed by passive smoking.