Tobacco Breaks Hearts

Posted on May 30th, 2018

Every year, on May 31st, WHO and partners mark World No Tobacco Day, highlighting the health and other risks associated with tobacco use. This year’s focus will be on the use of tobacco and risk of cardiovascular disease.

Smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular disease as it can:

  • Raise triglycerides (a type of fat in your blood)
  • Lower “good” cholesterol (HDL)
  • Make blood sticky and more likely to clot, which can block blood flow to the heart and brain
  • Damage cells that line the blood vessels
  • Increase the buildup of plaque (fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances) in blood vessels
  • Cause thickening and narrowing of blood vessels

 

World No Tobacco Day 2018 supports a large range of global initiatives and opportunities aimed at addressing the tobacco epidemic and its impact o public health, particularly in causing the death and suffering of millions of people globally. These actions include the WHO- supported Global Hearts and RESOLVE initiatives, which aim to reduce cardiovascular disease deaths and improve care, and the third United Nations General Assembly Hih-level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, being held in 2018.

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