A new study shows females who even smoke for a short time are more likely to suffer from peripheral artery disease (PAD) if compared to those who do not smoke at all. This study has notably reported that female smokers are
17 times more at risk to suffer from PAD than non smokers.

It is found that about 8 million Americans have PAD; it generally arises due to hardening and narrowing down of the arteries restricting the blood flow towards the legs. The main symptoms of the disease are said to be leg pain, cramps during normal activities, like walking and running. The report also mentioned that everyone with the disease may not show the symptoms.

The Lead researcher, Dr. David Conen, of the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland, said, "Our most important finding, in my view, is that smoking cessation substantially reduces this risk”.

The study in its report also said that people with PAD often have coronary heart disease, where arteries feeding the heart either become so stiff or narrow down, to restrict the blood to the heart. The study also highlighted that compared with lifelong non-smokers; the regular smokers had three times the risk of developing PAD over 13 years.