Does smoking lead to amputation?

Does smoking lead to amputation?

Smoking is not just bad for your lungs. The chemicals in cigarette smoke can damage the blood vessels in the legs. Untreated, the condition can lead to amputation. For too many smokers, the first they learn of the connection is when a vascular surgeon diagnoses them with peripheral artery disease (PAD).

How does smoking affect the legs?

Smoking could directly damage the muscles by reducing the number of blood vessels in leg muscles, which in turn can reduce the amount of oxygen and nutrients the muscles received, revealed the study published in The Journal of Physiology.

What happens to your legs and feet when you smoke?

Tobacco causes plaque to build up in the arteries, stiffening the arterial walls and narrowing your blood vessels. As blood vessels shrink, it becomes extremely difficult for blood to circulate in the tiny capillaries of the legs and feet, depriving your limbs of oxygen and nutrients.

How can smoking cause leg pain?

We know that nicotine causes constriction in blood vessel walls, which in turn creates an environment for plaque buildup. These blockages in the vessels around the heart lead to a heart attack. In the legs, these blockages start by causing pain.

Does smoking cause peripheral artery disease?

Cigarette smoking is one of the most important risk factors for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Smoking increases the risk of PAD by several fold and is a more influential risk factor for PAD than for coronary artery disease.

How does smoking relate to PAD?

There is a very strong correlation between smoking and PAD; approximately 90 percent of patients with PAD have a history of smoking. In fact, smoking even half a pack of cigarettes a day may increase your risk of having PAD by up to 50 percent.

How does smoking cause arteriosclerosis?

The chemicals in tobacco smoke harm your blood cells. They also can damage the function of your heart and the structure and function of your blood vessels. This damage increases your risk of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a disease in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up in the arteries.