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YOUNG smokers are more than eight times more likely to have a major heart attack compared to non-smokers, said Dr Ahmad al Mulla, head of Hamad Medical Corporation's (HMC) Tobacco Control Center, warning about the link between smoking and premature heart disease in young people.
According to Dr Mulla, HMC's Tobacco Control Center receives a number of referrals each month from the Heart Hospital for patients under the age of 40 who have blood clots and blockages in their arteries. He said smoking is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, a condition in which plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries.
Coronary heart disease occurs when arteries that carry blood to the heart muscle are narrowed by plaque or blocked by clots.
Chemicals in cigarette smoke cause the blood to thicken and form clots inside veins and arteries and blockage from a clot can lead to a heart attack and sudden death.
Dr Jamal Abdullah, a smoking cessation specialist at HMC, said all patients who seek the services of the Tobacco Control Center undergo a full assessment, including a complete medical history and related evaluations.
As part of the assessment, he said, clinicians talk to patients about available treatment options and caution them about the impact smoking has on their health and the importance of quitting. He said, in addition to smoking cigarettes, popular forms of tobacco use among young people in Qatar include electronic cigarettes, chewing tobacco (Swedish Snus), and a tobacco product mixed with aromatic leaf and bark herbs (Midwakh or Dokha).
Dr Abdullah said many young people think these alternatives are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes. However, he warned they can be more dangerous.
While smoking is a leading cause of heart attacks and heart disease, many of these heart risks can be reversed simply by quitting smoking.
The Tobacco Control Center continues to receive a large number of requests from new patients wanting to quit, indicating a desire among the public to stop smoking and to protect their health from the adverse effects of tobacco use. (TNN)
