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are the leading cause of death in the United States. Everyday approximately 1,500 people die from . Thousands more suffer crippling effects of some form, and remain disabled for the rest of their lives. A simple definition of a heart attack is a sudden failure ....

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.... in the body. These hormones raise the blood pressure. Consequently, a person's heart rate increases 15 to 25 beats per minute. Nicotine also causes the blood vessels to contract. People who smoke have a harder time keeping their hands and feet warm because their blood does not circulate as well as it does in non-smokers. When the heart rate increases and the blood vessels remain constricted for an extended period of time, ten or more years, arteries begin to close up. When an artery feeding blood to the heart closes up, the heart can no longer function. This results in a heart attack. Stress is another cause of heart attacks. The causes ....