How Smoking Affects Your Health

There is loads of different diseases and health problems which are caused by cigarettes but here I will mainly talk about cancer, problems with lungs, heart diseases and blood flow.

Cancers

Tobacco use accounts for nearly 1 in 3 cancer deaths. Tens of thousands of people will die this year from lung cancer. About 87% of lung cancer deaths will be caused by smoking.

Not only does smoking increase the risk for lung cancer, it’s also a risk factor for cancers of the:

• Mouth
• Larynx (voice box)
• Pharynx (throat)
• Nose and sinuses
• Lips
• Esophagus (swallowing tube)
• Kidney
• Cervix
• Bladder
• Pancreas
• Stomach
• Ovary (mucinous)
• Colon/rectum

Smoking is also linked to acute myeloid leukemia.

Heart disease and stroke

People who smoke greatly increase their risk of heart disease (the leading killer among women especially) and stroke. The risk goes up with the number of cigarettes smoked and the length of time a people has been smoking. Studies suggest that smoking cigarettes increases the risk of heart disease even more among younger people who have a outgoing personality and active life. 

 

Lung Problems

Smoking damages the airways and small air sacs in the lungs. This can cause chronic coughing, wheezing, trouble breathing, and long-term (chronic) lung disease. More than 90% of deaths due to chronic bronchitis and emphysema – together these are known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – are caused by smoking. The risk of COPD goes up with the number of cigarettes smoked each day and with the length of time a woman has been smoking. Female smokers aged 35 or older are almost 13 times more likely to die from emphysema or bronchitis than those who have never smoked. Smoking “low tar” or “light” cigarettes does not reduce these risks, or any of the other health risks of tobacco.

Bad Blood Flow

Smoking can cause or worsen poor blood flow in the arms and legs (a condition known as peripheral vascular disease or PVD). This can limit everyday activities such as walking, and lead to open sores that won’t heal. Even worse, surgery to improve the blood flow often fails in people who keep smoking. This is why many doctors who operate on blood vessels (vascular surgeons) won’t do certain surgeries on patients with PVD unless they stop smoking. Stopping smoking lowers a woman’s risk of PVD. And in people who already have PVD, quitting smoking improves the odds that PVD treatments will work.