Answer:
Blood vessels, and therefore blood pressure, are primarily influenced by only the sympathetic system. There is no parasympathetic influence on blood pressure, so nicotine activation of autonomic ganglia will preferentially increase blood pressure. Also, cardiac muscle tissue is only modulated by autonomic inputs, so the conflicting information from both sympathetic and parasympathetic postganglionic fibers will cause arrhythmias. Both hypertension and arrhythmias are cardiac risk factors.