- With Mayo Clinic cardiologist
Martha Grogan, M.D.
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Martha Grogan, M.D.
Martha Grogan, M.D.
Dr. Martha Grogan is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases. She is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and received her medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School. Dr. Grogan has been on staff at Mayo Clinic since 1995 and is a consultant in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and is an assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School.
Dr. Grogan is a noninvasive cardiologist specializing in heart failure, adult congenital heart disease and echocardiography. She has witnessed firsthand the importance of patient education in the treatment of diseases such as congestive heart failure and is excited about the tremendous educational opportunities now available through the Internet.
Risk factors (2)
- Silent heart attack: What are the risks?
- Calcium supplements: A risk factor for heart attack?
Tests and diagnosis (1)
- Ejection fraction: What does it measure?
Causes (2)
- Vitamin D deficiency: Can it cause high blood pressure?
- Omega-6 fatty acids: Can they cause heart disease?
Treatments and drugs (1)
- Polypill: Does it treat heart disease?
Lifestyle and home remedies (1)
- Grass-fed beef: What are the heart-health benefits?
Prevention (4)
- Heart attack prevention: Should I avoid secondhand smoke?
- Healthy heart for life: Avoiding heart disease
- Fasting diet: Can it improve my heart health?
- see all in Prevention
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Question
Heart attack prevention: Should I avoid secondhand smoke?
Can secondhand smoke increase your risk of having a heart attack?
Answer
from Martha Grogan, M.D.
Secondhand smoke exposure is a risk factor for having a heart attack. It's thought that chemicals in secondhand smoke can irritate the lining of your arteries, causing them to swell (inflammation). This inflammation can narrow your arteries, increasing your risk of having a heart attack.
Breathing secondhand smoke can also cause the cells in your blood that are responsible for clotting (platelets) to increase in number, making your blood more likely to clot. Too many platelets can cause a clot to form that may block an artery, causing a heart attack or stroke.
Also, it appears that heart attack rates go down in areas after those areas pass smoking bans. If you smoke, the best way to reduce your heart attack risk is to quit. If you're regularly around smokers, encourage them to quit or smoke in outdoor areas that will reduce the amount of secondhand smoke others will breathe. This is especially important if you have had a previous heart attack or have been diagnosed with heart disease.
Next questionHealthy heart for life: Avoiding heart disease
- Lightwood JM, et al. Declines in acute myocardial infarction after smoke-free laws and individual risk attributable to secondhand smoke. Circulation. 2009;120:1373.
- Pell JP, et al. Smoke-free legislation and hospitalizations for acute coronary syndrome. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;359:482.
- Jefferis BJ, et al. Secondhand smoke (SHS) is associated with circulating markers of inflammation and endothelial function in adult men and women. Atherosclerosis. In press. Accessed Jan. 8, 2009.
- Raupach T, et al. Secondhand smoke as an acute threat for the cardiovascular system: A change in paradigm. European Heart Journal. 2006;27:386.
- Secondhand Smoke exposure and cardiovascular effects: Making sense of the evidence. Institute of Medicine. http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2009/Secondhand-Smoke-Exposure-and-Cardiovascular-Effects-Making-Sense-of-the-Evidence/Secondhand%20Smoke%20%20Report%20Brief%203.ashx. Accessed Dec. 16, 2009.
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