Smoking and Stroke

New data from Canada suggests that smokers' risk having strokes or mini-strokes nearly a decade earlier than non-smokers. After they reviewed the records and clinical courses of patients referred to a stroke clinic because they were at high risk after suffering either a stroke or a mini-stroke (called transient ischemic attack or TIA), investigators found that smokers were at risk at a younger age, 58, on average, as opposed to 67 for non-smokers.

Habitual smoking hardens and narrows arteries and makes blood stickier, the researchers noted, and added that these changes might explain the association seen between smoking and stroke. What's more, they concluded that quitting has a big impact on stroke risk: within 18 months to two years of putting out that last smoke, the risk of stroke declines to that of a non-smoker. The researchers looked at stroke risks among 982 patients at an Ottawa stroke prevention clinic: 718 non-smokers and 264 smokers. The findings were presented October 3 at the Canadian Stroke Congress in Ottawa.

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Smoking In Relation to Men

Men are at as much risk because of smoking as are women. This is worse in case of men because smoking is a habit that thrives more commonly among the men and causes various disorders in the body which could even be fatal. Studies have shown that smoking is the most usual cause for disorders like impotency and cancer and can leave the man's whole life impaired, apart from being the cause of a whole bunch of other respiratory and heart disorders. Discoloration of the lips and darkening of the gums, along with stains on the teeth and mouth ulcers are commonly seen effects of smoking seen in men. It also is the main reason because of which the arteries which connect to the heart and the male organs gets clogged resulting in various disorders of the heart and is also the main cause several other mental and physical problems.

In fact smoking is known to cause irreparable and irreversible damage to the body. Problems like impotency and erectile dysfunction can be traced back to excessive smoking habits. This is because smoking causes blockage of the vessels that supplies blood to the genitals. Though most of the side effects of smoking are common for both men and women there are certain side effects which affects only men. Sexual health is the most affected in case of men apart from various other psychological and physical disorders. It also increases the risk of cancer and various other heart diseases and strokes. Another attribute of smoking is the fact that it increases anxiety levels though the common myth is that smoking is a stress buster. Memory is also adversely affected due to excessive smoking as smoke gradually over time kills the brain cells. Smoking is also the primary cause for increased nervousness and reduces the sharpness levels of an individual, and makes the person forgetful and careless.

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