SMOKING AND IT'S EFFECT

SMOKING AND IT’S EFFECT

On every single pack of cigarettes, there is a boldly written warning which reads, “The Federal Ministry of Health warns that smokers are liable to die young.” That is not just a mere threat, nor is it an erroneous maxim meant to deter people from smoking, but it was stated to bring to the public the peril and dangers of smoking to one’s life.

Smoking doesn’t take its toll on the aged alone; it is also injurious to young people. It inflames as well as irritates the lungs as well as living tissues.

Frequent smoking, or should I say habitual smoking, leads to a fatal decrease in the number of air spaces and blood vessels in the lungs, resulting in less oxygen reaching critical parts of the victim’s body. Globally, about 6.5 million people every 365 days that go by, all from lung cancer, esophageal cancer, heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as other fatal lung-related illnesses to add to the unending list.

The smoke that comes out from the burning tobacco and the smoke being puffed out or exhaled (secondhand smoke) is also bad for other non-smokers. I call those who inhale such smoke “Passive Smokers.” In adults, secondhand smoke can increase the risk of having lung cancer and heart disease, and also causes asthma, colds, ear infections, and pneumonia in children. Life expectancy for smokers is at least ten, yes 10 years shorter than for nonsmokers.

Health Effects of Smoking

Let’s take a good look at the colossal effects of smoking.

Lung Damage

Smoking cigarettes affects lung health because a person breathes in not only nicotine but also a variety of additional chemicals.

Cigarettes are responsible for an increase in the risk of developing lung cancer. This risk is 25 times greater for men and 25.7 times greater for women. Smoking cigarettes also presents a greater risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).

Cigarettes are also linked to developing emphysema and chronic bronchitis. They can also trigger or worsen an asthma attack. Your lungs can be very badly affected by smoking. Coughs, colds, wheezing and asthma are just the start. Smoking causes 85% of deaths from lung cancer and 84% of deaths from COPD.

People with COPD have difficulties breathing, primarily due to the narrowing of their airways and destruction of lung tissue.

Typical symptoms of COPD include: increasing breathlessness when active, a persistent cough with phlegm and frequent chest infections. Quitting smoking is the best and most effective way to reduce the progression of the disease as well as other annoying health issues

BLINDNESS POSSIBILITY

Smoking increases your risk of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 65.

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Smoking also causes Rheumatoid arthritis which is a chronic inflammatory disease more common in women that affects the joints in your hands and feet. It causes painful swelling that can eventually result in bone loss and joint deformity.

STROKE

Smoking as well increases the risk of getting a stroke by 50% by increasing your chances of developing a brain aneurysm, thereby causing brain damage and death.

This is a swell in a blood vessel caused by a weakness in the blood vessel wall. This can rupture or burst which will lead to an extremely serious condition known as a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is a type of hemorrhagic stroke, and can cause brain damage and death.

TYPE 2 DIABETES

Smoking can also make it more difficult for people with diabetes to manage their condition. Smoking contributes to type 2diabetes and as well increases the risk of complications from the disease— including poor blood flow to imbs.

Note:

This can as well lead to infection and result in the need to amputate a limb. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) report that people who smoke regularly have a 30–40 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who do not.

PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS

Smoking can increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy and reduce the baby’s birth weight. Ectopic Pregnancy is a life-threatening reproductive complication in women that is more likely in smokers. It occurs when a fertilized egg implants somewhere other than the uterus.

Smoking can as well affect pregnancy and the developing fetus in several ways, including:

•increasing the risk of ectopic pregnancy as well as reduces the baby’s birth weight

•increases the risk of preterm delivery

•damages the fetus’s lungs, brain, and central nervous system

Smoking read: How to improve your brain power

HEART DISEASE

Smoking cigarettes can cause damage to the heart, blood vessels, and blood cells.

Smoking also increases the risk of having Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), which occurs when the arteries to the arms and legs start to narrow, restricting the flow of blood. Those that have once smoked, face a higher risk than people who never smoked.

Having PAD increases the risk of experiencing:

•Blood Clots

•Chest Pain

•Stroke

•Heart Attack

FERTILITY PROBLEMS

Smoking also can affect the ability to conceive in women. It causes reduced fertility in women and can contribute to other problems during pregnancy. Smoking also increases the risk of having a cervical cancer.

In men, smoking also causes impotence. It damages the blood vessels that supply blood to the penis. It can also damage sperm, reduce sperm count and cause testicular cancer which is bad health and productive wise.

You may also want to know the: UNBELIEVABLE BENEFITS OF SNAKE VENOM.

GUM DISEASE

Smoking also causes periodontal; which is a gum infection that destroys the bone that supports the teeth. It is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. This also gain shows how bad smoking is to human health.

Some symptoms of gum disease are:

•Swollen gums

•Smoking also brings about Loose teeth

•Sensitive teeth

•Bleeding when brushing