Smoking and its Adverse Effects on Health
Smoking is an addiction that affects millions of people today, and many more are unknowingly passive smokers. Through the use of prominent advertisements on billboards and television, media advertisements have a significant influence on young adults. A person's smoking habit is difficult to break once they have become accustomed to it. People become addicted to smoking because of the presence of nicotine, and as a result, they want more and more without realizing that it is harming their bodies. Some smokers are aware that tobacco products are harmful to their health, but they continue to smoke because it relaxes them, relieves stress, and most importantly, they are addicted. However, the adverse effects of smoking to the body - cancer, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases - most definitely outweigh the benefits.
Lung Cancer and Smoking
Many studies have identified smoking as the number one cause of lung cancer worldwide. Smoking is also said to kill more people when compared to murder, road accidents, suicide, overdoses and HIV if they are all combined. Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer as a result of tobacco use. The use of pipes or cigars also increases the danger of lung cancer. There are at least 70 poisonous chemicals in tobacco that are known to cause cancer (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). The survival rate of people living with lung cancer is among the lowest of all cancers. Individuals who smoke tobacco products face higher chances of dying from lung cancer than those who do not smoke. Smoking occasionally or a few puffs a day also increases the risk of lung cancer. The risk also increases with the number of years one smokes, and cigarettes smoked on the daily. Where a person quits the risk reduces but they are at a higher risk than people who do not smoke. No matter the type of cigarette used the risk is still the same, and the use of low-tar cigarettes and filters makes little or no difference.
Respiratory Diseases and Smoking
During smoking, some tobacco components get inhaled and deposited in the lungs which have an adverse effect on the respiratory system. Smoking increases the chances of respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, influenza, and pneumonia (Nourti, Butler, & Farley, 2000). Smoking worsens Asthma in people who smoke or passive smokers and causes active tuberculosis. Smoking causes most of the deaths due to respiratory diseases. Quitting smoking is the only remedy to reduce the chances of developing respiratory diseases. In a year after quitting smoking, there is a small development in lung function. However, when one reduces the number of cigarettes smoked, there is no change in lung function. People who quit smoking, therefore, have a reduced risk of respiratory diseases compared to those who still smoke.
Cardiovascular Diseases and Smoking
The occurrence of cardiovascular diseases increases through tobacco use. Carbon monoxide inhaled during smoking reduces the oxygen amount in blood, making the heart work harder. The arterial lining is also damaged by smoking, causing fat to build up and narrowing the artery, which causes a stroke or heart attack. Nicotine in tobacco stimulates the body to produce adrenaline, and in turn, the Adrenaline increases the heart beat rate and raises blood pressure. Secondhand smoke exposure is a cause of heart disease to the passive smokers. Passive smoking increases the risk of stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Studies have proven that reduction in secondhand smoke contributes to the decrease in mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases. Laws and policies against public smoking and smoking age limit also reduce the rate of cardiovascular diseases (Ambrose & Barua, 2004).
Conclusion
It is crazy how some people would rather spend their last dollars buying a packet of cigarettes than food. The effects of smoking affect our lives in very many ways, financially, physical health, mental health, and even the environment around us. The health effects of smoking are severe from lung cancer to respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease. Quitting is always the best way to reduce the risk effects of smoking, and if some individuals face difficulties to stop, they can lessen the number of cigarettes smoked a day, and in the long run, they can end up quitting.
References
Ambrose, J. A., & Barua, R. S. (2004). The pathophysiology of cigarette smoking and cardiovascular disease: An update. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 1731-1737.
Nourti, P. J., Butler, J. C., & Farley, M. M. (2000). Cigarette Smoking and Invasive Pneumococcal Disease. The New England Journal of Medicine, 681-689.
What Are the Risk Factors for Lung Cancer? (2016, July 20). Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/cancer\/lung\/basic_info\/risk_factors.htm
