Cigarette Smoking And Its Health Risks

Smoking and your health:

Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of illness and death in the United States. A large number of Americans smoke cigarettes, and each year more than one million children and adults start smoking cigarettes. Many people die every year from illnesses caused by smoking. People who smoke die earlier than those who do not smoke. The risk of disease increases if you smoke a lot, inhale deeply, or have smoked many years.

Why are cigarettes bad for you?

Cigarettes are filled with poison that goes into the lungs when you inhale. Coughing, dizziness, and burning of the eyes, nose, and throat are early signs that smoking is harming you. Smoking increases your health risks if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or high blood cholesterol. The long-term problems of smoking cigarettes are
the following:

• Cancer: Smoking increases your chances of getting cancer. Cigarette smoking may play a role in developing many kinds of cancer. Lung cancer is the most common kind of cancer caused by smoking. A smoker is at greater risk of getting cancer of the lips, mouth, throat, or voice box. Smokers also have a higher risk of getting esophagus, stomach, kidney, pancreas, cervix, bladder, and skin cancer.
  
• Heart and blood vessel disease:
  
  
  • If you already have heart or blood vessel problems and smoke, you are at even greater risk of having continued or worse health problems. The nicotine in the tobacco causes an increase in your heart rate and blood pressure. The arteries (blood vessels) in your arms and legs tighten and narrow because of the nicotine in cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke increases blood clotting, and may damage the lining of your heart's arteries and other blood vessels.
    
  • Carbon monoxide is a harmful gas that gets into the blood and decreases oxygen going to the heart and the body. Cigarette smoke contains this gas. Hardening of the arteries happens more often in smokers than in nonsmokers. This may make it more likely for you to have a stroke (blood clot in your brain). The more cigarettes you smoke, the greater your risk of a heart attack.
• Lung disease:
  
  
  • The younger you are when you start smoking, the greater your risk of getting lung diseases. Many smokers have a cough which is caused by the chemicals in smoke. These chemicals harm the cilia (tiny hairs) that line the lungs and help remove dirt and waste products. Depending upon how much you smoke, your lungs become gray and "dirty" (they look like charcoal). Healthy lungs are pink.
    
  • Chronic bronchitis is a serious lung infection which is often caused by smoking. Emphysema is a long-term lung disease that may be caused by smoking cigarettes. Cigarette smoking also makes asthma worse. You are at a higher risk of getting colds, pneumonia, and other lung infections if you smoke.
• Gastrointestinal disease: Cigarette smoking increases the amount of acid that is made by your stomach, and may cause a peptic ulcer. A peptic ulcer is an open sore in the stomach or duodenum (part of the intestine). You may also get gastroesophageal reflux from smoking. This is when you have a backflow of stomach acid into your esophagus (food tube).
  
• Other problems: The following are other problems that smoking may cause:
  
  
  • Bad breath.
    
  • Bad smell in your clothes, hair, and skin.
    
  • Decreased ability to play sports or do physical activities because of breathing problems.
    
  • Earlier than normal wrinkling of the skin, usually the face.
    
  • Higher risk of bone fractures, such as hip, wrist, or spine.
    
  • Higher risk of starting a fire. This may happen if you fall asleep with a lit cigarette.
    
  • Men may have problems having an erection.
    
  • Sleeping problems.
    
  • Smoking is an expensive (costly) habit. You will save money if you choose to stop smoking.
    
  • Sore throat.
    
  • Staining of teeth.
• Women and smoking: You may have a higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke if you smoke and use birth control pills. This risk is more serious if you are 35 years or older. The risk of losing your unborn baby or having a stillborn baby is higher if you are pregnant and smoke. Babies born to smoking mothers often weigh less, and are at a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). You may have a harder time getting pregnant if you are a smoker. Women who smoke may have a higher risk of osteoporosis (also known as "brittle bones"). Women who smoke also have a higher risk of incontinence, which is when you are unable to control when you urinate.

Are there risks with smoking cigars or pipes?

The risks are the same for people who smoke cigars or pipes as they are for cigarette smokers. There is a risk of getting cancer of the mouth, lip, larynx (voice box), or esophagus if you smoke a cigar or pipe.

What are the risks of using snuff or chewing tobacco ("smokeless tobacco")?

People who use snuff or chewing tobacco have an increased risk of getting mouth or throat cancer. The risk of heart disease, stroke, blood vessel disease and stomach problems is the same as it is for cigarette smokers.

What is "passive smoking"?

Tobacco smoke is dangerous to others. The effect that smoking has on nonsmokers is called "passive smoking". Nonsmokers who breathe tobacco smoke have the same health risks as smokers. Children who are around tobacco smoke may have more colds, ear infections, or other breathing problems.

Why should I quit smoking?

The benefits from quitting smoking happen right away. Your sense of taste and smell will improve. Your body, clothes, car, and home will not smell of tobacco smoke. Your chance of getting cancer will be reduced as compared to a person who does not quit. As a former smoker, you will live longer than people who continue to smoke. Women who quit smoking before getting pregnant have a better chance of having a healthy baby. You will decrease the health risks of nonsmokers if you stop smoking. By stopping smoking you will also save money.

What is the best way to stop smoking?

• A large percentage of people have tried to quit smoking at least once. Most people who try to quit smoking go through a series of stages. Following are the stages you may go through to stop smoking:
  
  
  • Thinking about quitting.
    
  • Deciding to quit on a certain day.
    
  • Quitting smoking.
    
  • Successfully staying an ex-smoker.
• You must be strong in order to quit smoking. When you decide to quit, you can get help from your caregiver or others. You will learn that there are many ways to stop smoking. Talk to your caregiver about the best method for you when you are ready to quit smoking. Ask your caregiver for more information about how to stop smoking.

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