9 Harmful Effects of Smoking That You Need to Be Aware
Introduction
Do you know, tobacco smoking is one of the biggest health threats in the world! Can you imagine the harmful effects of smoking? How many people die because of this? How many people are suffered from dangerous diseases?
Well! According to the WHO, more than 8 million people die each year due to tobacco consumption.
More than 7 million of those death caused by direct
use of tobacco and almost 1.2 million are non-smokers, but they died from
direct exposure to passive smoke.
It is estimated that around 98-100 million people died
prematurely from smoking. Smoking is responsible for almost 15% of global
deaths. Tobacco kills half of its users.
In the case of passive smoking, about 1 million people
in India died every year. So, smoking kills. However, 2 lakhs of them
died from smokeless tobacco consumption.
All forms of tobacco are harmful, either smoke or
smokeless. The most common form of tobacco consumption is smoking cigarettes.
Smoking is not only a public health threat but an economic
threat also. The WHO suggested that 80% of the 1.3 tobacco consumers are
belonging from low to middle-income countries.
So, it is understandable how harmful its impact is
worldwide!
Side Effects of Tobacco
You must hear, smoking is injurious to health.
Yes, it is absolutely true.
Smoking or chewing tobacco leads to a variety of complications
to our health. It can promote various health issues over several years, while
some of them are immediate.
It is dangerous for us, and there is no safe way to
tobacco consumption, whether it is a cigarette, hookah, pipe, or any chewable
form.
Various tobacco harmful effects are present
here. It can damage almost all the body parts and gradually leads us toward
death.
Let’s know all the harmful effects so that we can be
aware.
i. Smoking Causes Respiratory Damage
The major harmful effects of smoking are
damaging our respiratory system in several ways.
Every time we inhale tobacco smoke through cigarettes,
pipes, or cigars, various toxic substances enter the lungs, release into the
bloodstream, and spread to every vital organ in the body.
Tobacco leaf
contains nicotine and numerous harmful chemicals.
When the leaf burns, release more than 4000 harmful
gases including carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxides (NOx).
Smoking damages alveoli of the lungs, and reduces the
surface area of gasses exchange.
Due to alveoli damage, oxygen, and carbon dioxide
exchange become harder, and little oxygen can pass into the blood. It is known
as emphysema.
Not only the lungs, but smoking also damages the
trachea, bronchus, bronchioles, etc.
These harmful chemicals damage the lining of bronchial
tubes, break cilia, and reduce their mobility. Generally, cilia pushing out
pollutants from the lungs through mucus.
Regular smoking decreases the proper works of cilia,
and the airways become clogged with mucus. The result is difficult to breathe,
and known as chronic bronchitis.
Emphysema and chronic bronchitis together cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), it is a critical health issue when
the patients gradually lose breathing ability, and there is no cure.
Smoking damage the lungs indirectly also. Due to COPD,
the lungs become more vulnerable to any other infections, pollution, and the
risk of respiratory failure increases a lot.
Tobacco smoke also promotes asthma attacks.
ii. Smoking Causes Cancer
Another dangerous, and harmful effect of smoking
is cancer.
A cigarette is responsible for increase the risk of
lung cancer, which is 25 times greater in men, and 26 times for women.
The most common cancer in the world is lung cancer. According
to the CDC, 9 out of 10 death due to lung cancer are linked to smoking.
Tobacco contains more than 4000 harmful chemicals,
which are carcinogenic compounds including cyanides, formaldehyde,
nitrosamines, benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), etc.
The smoking lungs are vulnerable to these
carcinogens and lead to cancer.
On the other hand, the carcinogens promote gene
mutation, increase DNA damage, or disrupt the DNA repairing process. All of
these lead to lung cancer also.
Not only lung cancer, but cigarette smoking can also
increase the risk of mouth, and throat cancer, pancreas and liver cancer,
kidney and bladder cancer as well as cervical cancer.
iii. Smoking Causes Heart Diseases
Other tobacco harmful effects are heart
diseases. Cigarette smoke can damage our entire cardiovascular system.
When nicotine carried in the bloodstream, it
stimulates the release of adrenalin hormone, which responsible for increasing
blood pressure.
smoking causes severe heart diseases
On the other hand, nicotine with carbon monoxide
damages the inner lining of the arteries and increases plaque deposition in the
damaged site. It is known as atherosclerosis.
The atherosclerotic plaque becomes larger, and narrows
the arteries, reduces blood flow, leads to severe heart blockage.
The plaque formation also reduces oxygenated blood
supply in the heart muscles, which turns into ischemic heart disease as well as
a heart attack.
Additionally, smoking is responsible for platelet
aggregation in the damaged arteries and promotes blood clotting.
Increased carbon monoxide binds with hemoglobin by
replacing the oxygen, and leads to oxygen deprivation with shortness of breath.
The harmful effects of smoking create impacts
on the peripheral vascular system. It increases peripheral vascular disease
(PAD) by deposition of plaque in the large artery of arms and legs.
PAD also increases the risk of angina (chest pain),
blood clots, stroke, and heart attack.
iv. Effects on The Nervous System
The side effects of tobacco are drastic in our
nervous system.
Highly addictive, and mood-altering compound nicotine
is the most common ingredient of cigarettes.
After the last smoking, within 10 seconds, the bloodstream carries nicotine to the brain and stimulates the release of
dopamine as well as endorphins.
Both of these neurotransmitters create a pleasurable
sensation, which makes smoking highly addictive.
Repeated exposure to nicotine generates
desensitization in our brain and makes us crave more and more.
Additionally, smoking tobacco also damages the nerve
endings in the nose and causing loss of smell.
v. Risk of Type-II Diabetes
Increasing the risk of type-II diabetes may be a side
effect of tobacco.
Regular consumption of tobacco may develop insulin
resistance, and trigger diabetes.
On the other hand, pancreatic cancer due to tobacco
can lead to high blood sugar.
vi. Pregnancy Complications
According to the CDC, developing pregnancy
complications is a critical harmful effect of smoking.
It affects the growth of the fetus in several ways.
pregnancy complexation for smoking
Smoking can lead to ectopic pregnancy, premature
delivery, and sudden death of a fetus.
On the other hand, during pregnancy, the harmful
chemicals of tobacco may generate teratogenicity, damage the nervous, and respiratory system of the fetus.
Smoking also contributes to some congenital
abnormities, such as cleft lip.
vii. May Induce Infertility
Smoking tobacco can induce infertility in both men and
women.
In the case of women, tobacco can damage female
reproductive health and makes pregnancy difficult.
On the other hand, smoking increases the risk of
erectile dysfunction in males. It also reduces sperm quality and induces
infertility.
viii. Effects on Digestive Health
People who smoke 2-3 times a day, more vulnerable to
cancer in the digestive system.
According to the American Cancer Society, pancreatic
cancer is more common in regular smokers.
Cigarette smokers have a 50% higher risk of stomach
cancer. Tobacco can also promote the chances of mouth cancer, throat and larynx
cancer, liver and colon cancer.
People who smoke regularly have poor oral hygiene, and
suffering from several oral problems, such as bleeding, and swollen gums,
sensitive teeth, and mouth ulcers.
ix. Eye problems
Another harmful effect of smoking is eye
problems.
Smoking increases the risk of age-related macular
degeneration, cataract, and dry eyes.
Additionally, smoking further complicates glaucoma and
diabetic retinopathy.
So, visual impairments are the critical side
effects of tobacco.
Now, The Conclusion
Yes, it is true, smoking kills. Several side
effects are present from the heart to the gut, from the brain to the lungs.
Millions of people are dying due to smoking, or
tobacco consumption in various ways. Those who are not dying, suffering from
many diseases.
The number of cancer patients, respiratory illness,
heart diseases are increasing day by day.
The harmful effects of smoking also affect
those who do not smoke through passive smoking.
Not only our body, but smoking also harms the
environment, poisoning our breath.
The only solution is to stop all these harms, quitting
smoking. It may difficult to quit smoke, but not impossible.
There are several prescription and non-prescription
medications that can help you. Lots of benefits of quitting smoking are
present, such as lower cancer risk, healthy heart, improved oral health, and
many more.
So, try to quit smoke for your better health. Say
no to tobacco.
Thank You.
We will wait for your valuable feedback. How this
information will help you quit smoking, please tell us in the comment box.
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I really appreciate you for choosing up this topic of smoking and its consequences. I agree that smoking destroys every parts of the patients. I would also like to add that oral cancer can be cured if detected early and definitive diagnosis is made. At https://4squaredentistry.in, our doctors exercise thorough examination to diagnose precancerous lesions at early stages to cure the patients.
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