Feet and Smoking: Quitting

You’ve likely read how smoking can cause lung cancer and heart disease. Now it’s time to read about what smoking does to your feet.

Your feet are located a long way from your heart, which means that even under the best of circumstances, they don't receive as much blood circulation as other parts of your body. And if you smoke, your body is definitely not working under peak conditions. A condition called peripheral arterial disease — which affects about 8 million Americans — is one way that smoking can seriously harm your feet.

With peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, a substance called plaque builds up in your arteries, often affecting the arteries that run down the length of your legs to your feet. As the arteries become stiff and narrowed, blood has trouble reaching your feet. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), you may feel leg pain while you're walking around, and you may notice that sores or injuries on your feet heal poorly, if at all. But in many cases, PAD doesn't alert you with signs or symptoms.

If you smoke, your risk of developing this condition is four times greater than if you don't. Also, according to the NIH, if you develop the condition, you'll get it 10 years earlier than non-smokers who develop PAD. If you also have diabetes — another common risk factor for decreased circulation to the feet — you're putting your feet at particularly high risk of damage, Dr. Mahoney warns.

Patients with PAD have a five times greater risk of dying from issues associated with cardiovascular disease, and more than six times greater risk of dying specifically from coronary heart disease.

In some cases, doctors can improve the circulation through the leg by bypassing a narrowed section of artery by attaching a piece of blood vessel to it, or by pushing a tube with a small balloon on the end through the blockage to dilate the artery. However, if a foot is badly damaged due to lack of blood flow, it may need to be amputated.

Source: everydayhealth

RIVERA FOOT & ANKLE: At Orlando H.Rivera DPM, our priority is to deliver quality care to informed patients in a comfortable and convenient setting. When you have problems with your feet, you need to turn to a podiatrist who listens and responds… an experienced doctor who knows the field and can effectively diagnose and treat your needs… a friendly physician who counsels you on the best ways to maintain and improve your health. Our physician(s) meet all these criteria. Plus, you benefit from a dedicated team of trained professionals who give you the individualized attention you deserve.

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