Danger of Smoking Cigarettes and Tobacco

Cigarettes kills slowly #Tijan Blog

Smoking leads to disease and disability and harms nearly every organ of the body.

More than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness. Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking also increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis.

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Second hand smoke exposure contributes to approximately 41,000 deaths among nonsmoking adults and 400 deaths in infants each year. Secondhand smoke causes stroke, lung cancer, and coronary heart disease in adults. Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, middle ear disease, more severe asthma, respiratory symptoms, and slowed lung growth.

Cancer

Cancer refers to diseases in which abnormal cells divide out of control and are able to invade other tissues. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems, which help the body get rid of toxins.

There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in which they start—for example, lung cancer begins in the lung and laryngeal cancer begins in the larynx (voice box).

Symptoms can include:

A thickening or lump in any part of the body
Weight loss or gain with no known reason
A sore that does not heal
Hoarseness or a cough that does not go away

A hard time swallowing
Discomfort after eating
Changes in bowel or bladder habits
Unusual bleeding or discharge
Feeling weak or very tired

Heart Disease

What Is Heart Disease and Stroke?

Heart disease and stroke are cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) diseases (CVDs).

Heart disease includes several types of heart conditions. The most common type in the United States is coronary heart disease (also known as coronary artery disease), which is narrowing of the blood vessels that carry blood to the heart. This can cause chest pain.

Heart attack (when blood flow to the heart becomes blocked and a section of the heart muscle is damaged or dies).

Heart failure (when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to support other organs).

Arrhythmia (when the heart beats too fast, too slow, or irregularly).

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is blocked or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, causing brain tissue to die. Stroke can cause disability (such as paralysis, muscle weakness, trouble speaking, memory loss) or death 654 or death.

COPD

What Is COPD?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. COPD includes emphysema; chronic bronchitis; and in some cases, asthma.

With COPD, less air flows through the airways—the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs—because of one or more of the following:

The airways and tiny air sacs in the lungs lose their ability to stretch and shrink back.
The walls between many of the air sacs are destroyed.
The walls of the airways become thick and inflamed (irritated and swollen).
The airways make more mucus than usual, which can clog them and block air flow.
In the early stages of COPD, there may be no symptoms, or you may only have mild symptoms, such as:
A nagging cough (often called “smoker’s cough”)
Shortness of breath, especially with physical activity
Wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe)
Tightness in the chest
As the disease gets worse, symptoms may include:
Having trouble catching your breath or talking
Blue or gray lips and/or fingernails (a sign of low oxygen levels in your blood)
Trouble with mental alertness
A very fast heartbeat
Swelling in the feet and ankles
Weight loss

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How severe your COPD symptoms are depends on how damaged your lungs are. If you keep smoking, the damage will get worse faster than if you stop smoking. Among 15 million U.S. adults with COPD, 39% continue to smoke.

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