Smoking poses a severe threat to cerebral blood vessels; after reading this, do you still want to smoke?

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　　Smoking poses a severe threat to cerebral blood vessels. After reading this, do you still want to smoke? If smoking is compared to a carving tool, then nicotine (also known as nicotin) and carbon monoxide in tobacco are the cutting edges of that tool. It kept scraping along the vascular endothelium throughout the body, causing cracks in the vascular endothelium. …… 　　How does smoking damage blood vessels? If smoking is compared to a carving tool, then nicotine (also known as nicotin) and carbon monoxide in tobacco are the cutting edges of that tool. It keeps moving along the endothelium of blood vessels throughout the body, causing cracks in that endothelium. This allows components in the blood such as platelets, white blood cells, lipids, blood sugar, uric acid, and urea to penetrate beneath the vessel lining, leading to aging of the blood vessels, thickening of the inner lining, plaque formation, narrowing, and even the development of blood clots. As a result, various symptoms and signs appear in the body, such as strokes, heart attacks, and arteriosclerosis with narrowing in the lower limbs. 　　How does smoking lead to arteriosclerosis? Nicotine (also known as nicotine alkaloid) and carbon monoxide in tobacco are recognized as the main harmful factors that cause atherosclerosis. 　　1. Nicotine and carbon monoxide can damage vascular endothelial cells, leading to a decrease in serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), an increase in total cholesterol, a reduction in prostaglandin I2 levels, an increase in thromboxane A2, an increase in carboxyhemoglobin, compensatory polycythemia, reduced blood flow, microcirculatory disorders, an increase in plasma fibrinogen levels, increased platelet aggregation, higher blood viscosity, enhanced blood coagulability, and hypoxia in vital organs – all of which are harmful effects.
2. Nicotine binds to N-type acetylcholine receptors, causing the adrenal medulla to release vasoactive substances such as catecholamines, which can increase heart rate, cause blood vessel constriction, and raise the oxygen demand of the myocardium. The combined long-term effects of these various harmful effects of smoking lead to arterial constriction (or spasm), thickening of the vessel walls, and subsequently atherosclerosis, lumen narrowing, obstruction, and thrombosis. 　　How does smoking lead to cerebrovascular diseases? Smoking can cause various cerebrovascular diseases, including both hemorrhagic and ischemic types, with ischemic diseases being more common. When smoking damages blood vessels and causes atherosclerotic plaques, it directly leads to ischemic strokes, such as cerebral infarcts; when the vascular endothelium is damaged, it also increases the risk of hemorrhagic vascular diseases, such as dissectional aneurysms and aneurysms. 　　1. Elevated blood pressure: Cigarettes contain large amounts of nicotine, and these toxic substances cause an increase in the secretion of adrenaline and thyroid hormones in the body, leading to an accelerated heart rate and elevated blood pressure, with adverse consequences. 2. Endothelial damage and arteriosclerosis: The smoke from cigarettes contains carbon monoxide, at concentrations of 3% to 5%; this substance is absorbed into the blood through the lungs and can bind to hemoglobin in red blood cells, forming carboxyhemoglobin. Carbonyl hemoglobin loses its ability to carry oxygen, which reduces the oxygen content in the blood. This leads to a lack of oxygen in the endothelial cells of blood vessels, resulting in oxygen deficiency in cerebral blood vessels and brain tissue. It also reduces vascular elasticity and causes arteriosclerosis. Meanwhile, some harmful substances in tobacco directly damage the vascular endothelium, accelerating atherosclerosis.

3. Disruption of fat metabolism: Nicotine in tobacco can reduce high-density lipoprotein levels, increase low-density lipoprotein levels, raise cholesterol levels in the blood, widen the spaces between cells, and lead to fat deposition, ultimately causing atherosclerosis.

4. Increased blood viscosity: Nicotine in tobacco promotes the aggregation of red blood cells and the deposition of white blood cells, increasing blood viscosity and slowing down blood flow. This makes it easier to develop cerebral thrombosis. Studies have found that smoking while staying up late can increase blood viscosity by more than 8 times compared to normal conditions. 　　The close relationship between smoking and stroke When it comes to smoking, many people think of respiratory diseases such as lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In fact, smoking leads to a variety of health problems and can also cause severe damage to the body’s vascular system, resulting in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. 　　Smoking is an important factor in atherosclerotic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It increases the incidence of cerebrovascular diseases, as confirmed by an increasing amount of evidence. The relative risk of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases associated with smoking compared to non-smokers is 2.5 times, while it is 2.8 times for hemorrhagic cerebrovascular diseases. It has been shown that both the amount of smoking per day and the duration of smoking are directly proportional to the risk of cerebrovascular diseases, regardless of gender. Smoking increases the risk of acute ischemic stroke; for example, heavy smoking can lead to acute thrombosis in the blood vessels of the brain. Evidence shows that both active and passive smoking accelerate carotid atherosclerosis and increase the risk of fatal and non-fatal strokes. Due to increased vascular fragility, smoking also raises the risk of hemorrhagic stroke and thus the risk of death from stroke. 　　Smoking is an important risk factor for stroke; it is associated with both ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, and subarachnoid hemorrhage, and the risk of onset increases with the amount of smoking per day. Smokers experience a stroke 10 years earlier than non-smokers. Smoking is an independent risk factor for stroke. 　　What are the benefits of quitting smoking for stroke prevention? Quitting smoking is one of the important measures for preventing cerebrovascular diseases. For some people, smoking is indeed a habit; as a factor that facilitates social life and economic activities, it becomes a physiological and psychological need for them. Smoking is harmful to health, and such campaigns to discourage it have never ceased. The first question from smokers is: by now, the damage caused by smoking has already taken place; what benefits are there to quitting? Quitting is painful, and if I don’t quit, won’t there be any further harm? There are studies that assess the survival benefits of quitting smoking, and they conclude that quitting for 5 years can increase the survival rate by 3%, quitting for 10 years can increase it by 10%, and quitting for 15 years can increase it by 15%. Quitting smoking is the most cost-effective intervention to reduce the risk of stroke. Quitting smoking is one of the important measures for preventing cerebrovascular diseases. Studies show that the average cost per life year saved is: $2,000 – $6,000 for quitting smoking, $9,000 – $26,000 for using blood pressure medications, and $50,000 – $196,000 for using cholesterol-lowering drugs. 　　Physiopathological mechanisms that occur after quitting smoking: Quitting smoking can lead to a decrease in fibrinogen levels; it also results in a significant reduction in white blood cell counts. Quitting smoking lowers the rate of platelet aggregation, improves the composition of lipoproteins by increasing high-density lipoproteins and decreasing low-density lipoproteins, enhances arterial compliance, and improves hemodynamics. It reduces the platelet aggregation caused by smoking, as well as lowers the levels of inflammatory markers associated with the progression of vascular diseases (C-reactive protein, white blood cells, fibrinogen), thereby significantly reducing the risk of stroke. 　　5 years after quitting smoking: the risk of stroke is reduced by half. 10 years after quitting smoking: the risk of cerebrovascular events (strokes) is the same as that of non-smokers. 　　Smoking is harmful to health; it has no advantages at all. You who smoke, how much longer will you continue? How long can you hold on? By choosing to quit smoking, you choose a healthy and fresh life. “The probability that smoking endangers one’s life is 50%; quitting smoking is equivalent to saving oneself. As this diagram shows, when you smoke, you are burning up your lifespan; your health is being damaged, and your life expectancy keeps decreasing... In fact, smoking not only harms one’s own health but also poses a greater risk to relatives and friends around due to second-hand and third-hand smoke. It takes a long time to develop a smoking habit, and once it’s formed, it’s difficult to quit – patience and determination are required, as well as a gradual process. Some people’s attempts to quit smoking these days aim to achieve success in one go, which is why the results are minimal. Could we adopt a different approach, by encouraging reduction in consumption and making efforts to lower dependence, and by leveraging the support of families and society as well as e-cigarettes and other non-addictive alternatives, to gradually achieve smoking cessation?