The essence of smoker’s disease is that the blood vessels supplying the cerebral hemispheres, the internal carotid arteries, become occluded. When the internal carotid artery is occluded, the brain is in a state of ischemia, which stimulates the brain to grow many new small blood vessels, and these many small vessels look like smoke when an angiogram is done. Smoke disease causes two major problems: 1. Cerebral ischemia Although the brain grows many new small blood vessels, the blood that these small vessels can supply is still not enough, so the patient has insufficient blood supply to the brain and often has headaches, no strength in the hands and feet, reduced intelligence, and sometimes severe sleep disorders. With the development of the disease, the patient may also have cerebral infarction. 2. Cerebral hemorrhage These new blood vessels are structurally imperfect, and coupled with a heavy burden, they often rupture, leading to cerebral hemorrhage. Since the site of the hemorrhage is often important, the consequences are more serious and the patient may suffer from paralysis, unclear speech and other problems. Doctor’s tip: Possible concomitant diseases of smoker’s disease include renal artery stenosis hypertension, intracranial aneurysm, cerebrovascular malformation, primary hypertension of pulmonary origin, periodic oblique neck and developmental disorders. Smoky disease is very dangerous, and if treatment is delayed, once a cerebral hemorrhage or cerebral infarction occurs, it may lead to hemiplegia, disability, or in severe cases, life-threatening. Therefore, early detection and timely treatment are very important. When you notice headache and numbness, you may want to have an ultrasound of your head to check whether you are suffering from smog, so that it can be detected and treated early.