Nine out of ten of those who suffer from a life-threatening vascular disease are current or previous tobacco smokers, a new study from The British Heart Foundation has revealed.
Peripheral Arterial Disease, or PAD, is known as a silent killer which can result in the amputation of limbs, and often there are no symptoms until it develops into a stroke or heart attack. There are almost half a million registered patients dealing with PAD in the UK, but due to the illnesses’ elusive nature, experts suspect that those who are suffering from the condition could be double that figure.
Dr Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation explains why PAD is so dangerous: “Peripheral arterial disease can lead to horrific consequences and the silent nature of the condition means that opportunities to diagnose and treat it are often missed. We do know that stopping smoking is the single most effective way of reducing your risk of developing this potentially deadly disease,”
The British Heart Foundation’s No Smoking Day on March 9th will see thousands of people across the country kick-start their attempts to move away from tobacco permanently, and avoid the many illnesses and diseases that are caused by the toxins found in tobacco smoke.
