Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Diseases: Effect of Smoking on Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

A myocardial infraction occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is blocked usually, by the sudden formation of a blood clot within a coronary artery, leading to death of part of the heart muscle. Cigarettes' smoking is one of the major rick factors for acute myocardial infarction. Certain components of tobacco and tobacco combustion gases are known to damage blood vessel walls. The body response to this types of injury elicits the formation of atherosclerosis and its progression, thereby increasing the rick of MI. To examine the relationship between MI and cigarettes' smoking in hospital admitted MI patients, we investigated the smoking habit of patients under the age of 90 who had survived a recent myocardial infraction. Other identifiable risk factors included in this study are age, sex, occupation and physical activity. The study was conducted at national institute of cardiovascular diseases, Dhaka