The effects of smoking at a young age. Which organ is affected by cigarette smoke to the same extent as the lungs
We look at the abdomen where the aorta bifurcates. There is the body's largest blood vessel adapting to cigarette smoke, while posing a potentially life-threatening risk.
The average age at which Romanians start smoking is 18. Over 12% start smoking before turning 14, as stated by the National Antidrug Agency.
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Almost 90% of the smokers have never discussed the chronic illness called "smoking" with a doctor.
Cigarette smoke doesn't just impact the lungs. But also the aorta. The main artery in the human body.
It exits the heart and goes down to the abdomen, where it splits into two smaller arteries that supply the lower limbs.
We observe this blood vessel with a diameter ranging from 1.5 to 2 centimeters. What happens in the case of smokers? Professor Doctor Mihai Ionac explains.
Prof. Dr. Mihai Ionac, vascular surgery specialist: "Above this bifurcation is the place where a kind of ballooning of the walls occurs, a gradual swelling, similar to a balloon, causing the walls to expand, thin out, and potentially rupture".
The size of the vessel is twice the normal size, and there is a potential risk for rupture, posing a life-threatening danger.
Abdominal ultrasound assesses the size of the aorta. It is done annually. If you are a smoker, and the doctor notices the enlargement of the aorta, intervention should be performed before rupture.
Prof. Dr. Mihai Ionac, vascular surgery specialist: "Endovascular surgery allows the patient to be back home in 2-3 days. And within a maximum of two weeks, they can go back to their life before the intervention. Such patients need to be monitored annually by a surgeon through ultrasound or computed tomography".
95% of patients who develop abdominal aortic aneurysms are smokers.
