Cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 different chemicals which can damage the cells and systems of the human body. These include at least 80 chemicals that can cause cancer (including tar, arsenic, benzene, cadmium and formaldehyde) nicotine (a highly addictive chemical which hooks a smoker into their habit) and hundreds of other poisons such as cyanide, carbon monoxide and ammonia.
Every
time a smoker inhales, these chemicals are drawn into the body where they
interfere with cell function and cause problems ranging from cell death to
genetic changes which lead to cancer. This is why tobacco smoking is a known or
probable cause of approximately 25 diseases. According to WHO figures, smoking
is responsible for approximately five million deaths worldwide every year.
However it also contributes to, or aggravates many other diseases and may play
a part in many more deaths.
Smoking
amongst youngsters and teens
People
take up smoking for a variety of reasons. Young people are especially
vulnerable because of pressure from their peers and the image that smoking is
clever, cool or 'grown-up'. Just trying a few cigarettes can be enough to
become addicted. Many people say that smoking helps them to feel more relaxed
or cope with stress but nicotine is a stimulant not a relaxant, so it doesn't
help stress.
Passive
smoking
The
'side-stream' smoke that comes off a cigarette between puffs carries a higher
risk than directly inhaled smoke.
Children
who grow up in a home where one or both of their parents smoke have twice the
risk of getting asthma and asthmatic bronchitis. They also have a higher risk
of developing allergies.
Infants
under two years old are more prone to severe respiratory infections and cot
death.
For
adults, passive smoking seems to increase the risk of lung cancer, and also
shows an increased risk of heart disease.
Health
risks of Smoking
Research
has shown that smoking reduces life expectancy by seven to eight years. On
average, each cigarette shortens a smoker's life by around 11 minutes. There
are hundreds of examples and volumes of research showing how cigarette smoking
damages the body. The smokers in their 30s and 40s are five times more likely
to have a heart attack than non-smokers.
If you
smoke for a lifetime, there is a 50 per cent chance that your eventual death
will be smoking-related. The following are the health risks because of
Smoking:-
Lungs
Everyone's
lungs stop functioning properly as the older they get, but for smokers this
process happens sooner, faster and more severely. Smoking also causes permanent
damage to lung tissue. Smoking does enormous damage to the lungs, especially
because these tissues are in the direct firing line for the poisons in smoke.
As a result there is a huge increase in the risk of lung cancer. Women who
smoke increase this risk by nearly 12 times. Lung cancer is a difficult cancer
to treat - long term survival rates are poor. It also lead to lung problems
such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis, or asthma that is harder to control.
Chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a collective term for a group of
conditions that block airflow and make breathing more difficult, such as:
Emphysema
– breathlessness caused by damage to the air sacs (alveoli)
Chronic
bronchitis – coughing with a lot of mucus that continues for at least three
months.
Smoking
is the most common cause of COPD and is responsible for 80 per cent of cases.
COPD typically starts between the ages of 35 and 45 when lung function starts
to decline anyway
In
smokers, the rate of decline in lung function can be three times the usual
rate. As lung function declines, breathlessness begins. As the condition
progresses, severe breathing problems can require hospital care. The final
stage is death from slow and progressive breathlessness.
Blood
After
smoking the levels of carbon monoxide in the body increases due to which the
hemoglobin level reduce dramatically. Hemoglobin is responsible for
transporting oxygen; therefore, if less of it is available, then less oxygen
will be transported around the body which leads to blood clots. Blood clots and
aneurysms in the brain can lead to strokes.
The
clots may also travel to legs, lungs and also lead to high blood pressure or
poor blood supply to the legs.
Decreased
blood flow into the penis may cause erections.
Smoking
can also lead to poor wound healing or wound infection especially after surgery
and also cancer (especially in the lung, mouth, larynx, esophagus, bladder,
kidney, pancreas, and cervix)
Heart
Smoking
promotes thickening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is
associated with many negative health outcomes in various body systems,
including the heart. When the arteries narrow, blood clots are likely to form.
Smoking accelerates the hardening and narrowing process in your arteries: it
starts earlier and blood clots are two to four times more likely.
Brain
Smoking
accelerates the hardening and narrowing process in your arteries i.e.
atherosclerosis. In this condition, blood clots are likely to form.
These
clots may also lead to Cerebral Thrombosis in which the vessels to the brain
can become blocked, which can lead to collapse, stroke and paralysis. Damage to
the brain's blood supply is also an important cause of dementia.
Cancer
Every
cigarette you smoke is exposing you to more carcinogens, and therefore the
longer you smoke, the higher your risk of developing cancer. Smokers are more
likely to get cancer than non-smokers. This is particularly true of lung
cancer, throat cancer and mouth cancer, which hardly ever affect non-smokers.
The
link between smoking and lung cancer is clear.
Ninety
percent of lung cancer cases are due to smoking.
If
no-one smoked, lung cancer would be a rare diagnosis – only 0.5 per cent of
people who've never touched a cigarette develop lung cancer.
One in
ten moderate smokers and almost one in five heavy smokers (more than 15
cigarettes a day) will die of lung cancer.
The
more cigarettes you smoke in a day, and the longer you've smoked, the higher
your risk of lung cancer. Similarly, the risk rises the deeper you inhale and
the earlier in life you started smoking.
If you
smoke, the risk of contracting mouth cancer is four times higher than for a
non-smoker. Cancer can start in many areas of the mouth, with the most common
being on or underneath the tongue, or on the lips.
Other
types are cancer in the lung, mouth, larynx, esophagus, bladder, kidney,
pancreas, and cervix:
Eyes
The
blood vessels in the eye are sensitive and can be easily damaged by smoke,
causing a bloodshot appearance and itchiness. Heavy smokers are twice as likely
to get macular degeneration (the deterioration of vision with age), resulting
in the gradual loss of eyesight.
Smokers
run an increased risk of cataracts.
Mouth
Smoking
has a detrimental impact on oral health, including a reduced ability to smell
and taste. Smoking tobacco is one of the principle causes of teeth
discoloration. Smoking stains your teeth and gums. It also increases your risk
of periodontal disease, which causes swollen gums, bad breath and teeth to fall
out.
Smoking
causes an acid taste in the mouth and contributes to the development of ulcers
Cosmetic
In
addition to all the negative health impacts of smoking on the body, it also has
a negative effect on your appearance. Smoking affects your looks as smokers
have paler skin and more wrinkles. This is because smoking reduces the blood
supply to the skin and lowers levels of Vitamin A.
Smoking
has been shown to have visible effects on the skin, including:
- Increased facial wrinkling;
- Premature ageing; and
- Decreased capillary and arteriolar blood flow.
Reproductive
system
For men
in their 30s and 40s, smoking increases the risk of erectile dysfunction by
about 50 per cent. Erection can't occur unless blood can flow freely into the
penis, so these blood vessels have to be in good condition. Smoking can damage
the blood vessels and cause them to degenerate as nicotine narrows the arteries
that lead to the penis, reducing blood flow and the pressure of blood in the
penis. This narrowing effect increases over time, so if you haven't got
problems now, things could change later.
Erection
problems in smokers may be an early warning signal that cigarettes are already
damaging other areas of the body – such as the blood vessels that supply the
heart.
Tobacco
can have detrimental effects on sperm production, including reduced concentrations
of sperm in the semen and reduced concentrations of normal and motile sperm. In
order to give yourself the best chance of conceiving, you should stop smoking.
Harm to
children from smoking
Smoking
in pregnancy greatly increases the risk of miscarriage, is associated with
lower birth weight babies, and inhibits child development. Smoking by parents
following the birth is linked to sudden infant death syndrome or cot death, and
higher rates of infant respiratory illness, such as bronchitis, colds, and
pneumonia.
Smokers
who switch to smokeless tobacco instead of quitting tobacco completely still
carry a number of health risks:
Increased
risk of mouth or nasal cancer
Gum
problems, tooth wear, and cavities
Worsening
high blood pressure and angina
Health
risks of Secondhand Smoking
Those
who are regularly around the smoke of others (secondhand smoke) have a higher
risk of:
- Heart attacks and heart disease
- Lung cancer
- Sudden and severe reactions, including those involving the eye, nose, throat, and lower respiratory tract
- Infants and children who are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke are at risk of:
- Asthma (children with asthma who live with a smoker are much more likely to visit the emergency room)
- Infections, including virus-caused upper respiratory infections, ear infections, and pneumonia
- Lung damage (poor lung function)
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
The
Benefits of Quitting
Although
the health risks of smoking are cumulative, giving up can yield health
benefits, regardless of the age of the patient, or the length of time they have
been smoking.
If you
join a proper smoking-cessation service, using all available help including
medication and counseling, your chances of quitting may be as high as one in
three (compared to just three per cent if you go it alone).
You
will notice many benefits of quitting right away:
- Your breath, clothes, and hair will smell better
- Your sense of smell will return and food will taste better
- Your fingers and fingernails will slowly appear less yellow
- Your stained teeth will slowly become whiter
Your
home, work, and social life will also improve immediately:
- Your children will be less likely to start smoking themselves
- It will be easier and cheaper to find an apartment or hotel room
- You will miss fewer work days, or you may have an easier time getting a job
- The constant search for a place to smoke when you're out will be over
- Friends will be more willing to be in your car or home
- Your dating prospects will become much wider, because 80% of the population does not smoke
- You will have more money available (smokers spend much on per year on cigarettes packs)
Also
Read:-
Any
feedback or suggestions, please feel free to Comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment