Describe how components of tobacco smoke can affect the cardiovascular system.

Tobacco smoke contains nicotine. Nicotone makes platelets 'sticky' and more likely to form 'blood clots' which can block arteries in the heart, causing a myocardial infarction (heart attack) as well as block arteries in the brain resulting in a stroke. Nicotine also causes the release of adrenaline which results in vasoconstriction of small arteries. Tobacco smoke also causes an increase of carbon monoxide in the blood. This permanently binds to haemoglobin, forming carboxyhaemoglobin. Carboxyhaemoglobin is unable to bind more oxygen which resilts in an overall reduced carrying capacity of oxgyen by the blood.