Women who smoke have an increased risk for stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage. The increased risk for stroke associated with smoking is reversible after smoking cessation; after 5 to 15 years of abstinence, the risk approaches that of women who have never smoked.

Women who smoke have an increased risk for death from ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. They also have risk for peripheral vascular atherosclerosis, but cessation is associated with improvements in symptoms, prognosis, and survival. Smoking is also a strong predictor of the progression and severity of carotid atherosclerosis among women, but smoking cessation appears to slow the rate of progression.

Cigarette smoking is a primary cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among women, and the risk increases with the amount and duration of smoking. Approximately 90 percent of deaths from COPD among women in the United States can be attributed to cigarette smoking.