SCardiologist in Vidyaranyapura, Bangalore • moking The Framingham study found an 18% increase in coronary events for males and a 31% increase for females for every 10 cigarettes smoked per day. There is more of an association between smoking and myocardial infarction than between smoking and stable angina. Smoking increases the risk of stroke, coronary heart disease and peripheral vascular disease through a number of mechanisms Smoking is a major factor in the increased risk of coronary heart disease for women using oestrogen-containing contraceptive pills. Smoking cessation is associated with a rapid decline in death rates from coronary disease, probably because of smoking’s thrombogenic effects. Smoking seems less important as a risk factor in populations with low LDL levels. Some effects of smoking 1 Increased atherogenesis, probably by toxic injury to endothelial cells 2 Hypoxia, resulting in intimal proliferation 3 Thrombogenesis 4 Reduction in HDL 5 Oxidation of lipids 6 Increase in fibrinogen levels