Smoking is an important contributing cause of atherosclerosis -- a vascular disease that disturbs the flow of blood to organs and can affect any part of the body, including the heart, brain, kidneys, abdomen, arms and legs. It causes most heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Atherosclerosis also causes most strokes the fourth leading cause of death and peripheral artery disease, (PAD). PAD is caused by arteriosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries." This problem occurs when fatty material (plaque) builds up on the walls of your arteries and makes them narrower. The walls of the arteries also become stiffer and cannot widen (dilate) to allow greater blood
