Smoking significantly increases your risk of cardiovascular diseases, including stroke. It damages the heart and circulatory system and cause conditions such as atherosclerosis and high blood pressure.

Long-term exposure to nicotine has many negative health effects. Some, such as a persistent cough, are noticeable. But the hidden damage that happens within the brain is not often apparent until it is too late. Research shows that smoking causes the brain to shrink.

There is a relationship between the amount you smoke and your risk of stroke. If you smoke 20 cigarettes a day, you are six times more likely to have a stroke compared to a non-smoker^1,2. For every five cigarettes you smoke, the risk increases by 12%³.

Smoking and cardiovascular disease

There are many ways that smoking negatively impacts cardiovascular health, which, in turn, raises stroke risk. Smoking^4,5:

• damages the lining of blood vessels which promotes the build-up of plaque (arteriosclerosis) within the arteries, narrowing them and restricting blood flow.
• increases the risk of blood clots in the blood vessels which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
• decreases the amount of oxygen carried by the blood which can lead to tissue damage and healing problems in the vascular system, increasing the risk of conditions like peripheral artery disease (where a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries restricts blood supply to leg muscle).
• weakens the walls of blood vessels, making them more prone to rupture or aneurysm (a bulge or swelling in a blood vessel wall). This can cause internal bleeding and life-threatening complications.
• triggers inflammation throughout the body, including within the blood vessels. which could lead to the development of vascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis.
• impairs the function of endothelial cells, which play a crucial role in controlling blood flow, blood pressure and clot formation.

Tobacco and stroke risk: Key points

Stopping smoking dramatically reduces stroke risk, and the health benefits increase for every year of not smoking. After 15 years, the risk of developing a stroke is around the same as someone who has never smoked².

Quitting also helps the people around you. Passive smoking also increases the risk of stroke¹. In the US, Non-smokers who breathe in second-hand smoke increase their stroke risk by 20 to 30%⁶. And each year, in the US, passive smoking causes more than 8,000 deaths from stroke⁷.

Smoking tobacco is highly addictive, and it is very common for people to make multiple efforts to quit before they quit for good. Most health authorities provide support for people to stop smoking on their websites. Your family doctor is another helpful resource. They may be able to prescribe nicotine supplements, connect you with local support groups or recommend self-help guides, books or evidence-based alternative therapies, such as hypnosis.