It's common knowledge that smoking can be hazardous to your health. It can affect your heart and your lungs, and ultimately it can lead to death. Many organs in your body can be affected by smoking, even by secondhand smoke. To prevent the onslaught of smoking related diseases, learn a little bit about what they are, both respiratory and circulatory, and give yourself a reason to either quit or never pick up the habit.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is a very serious risk of smoking. Although anyone can get it, smoking greatly increases your chances of developing lung cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, 87 percent of lung cancer deaths are caused by cigarette smoking and even secondhand smoke is responsible for about 3,000 lung cancer deaths in non smokers in the U.S. every year. Lung cancer carries with it a very high mortality rate and can often spread quickly to other organs in your body. If you are a smoker, quitting will definitely decrease your risk of developing this disease.
Emphysema
Emphysema is a lung disease that commonly causes shortness of breath. Emphysema causes the destruction of certain tissues, specifically alveoli and bronchioles, in your lungs, changing the shape of your lungs and their ability to take in air properly. Cigarette smoking has been found to be the main cause of emphysema. If you are currently a smoker, watch out for symptoms that include shortness of breath, a chronic cough, slower physical activity, production of yellow or greenish phlegm when you cough and a tightness of the chest. Emphysema can also be difficult to treat and can often lead to death. While emphysema can affect anyone, it is most commonly associated with smoking, and the best way to prevent it is by refraining from smoking.
Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis is a reoccurring inflammation that occurs in the main air passages of the lungs. It is the most common side effect of cigarette smoking. Symptoms of chronic bronchitis are productive coughing, headaches, respiratory infections and wheezing. Proper diagnosis requires that the cough, presenting with mucous, is present for more than three months in a year for two consecutive years. The best treatment for prevention and alleviating symptoms is to quit smoking.
Heart Disease
Heart disease is another effect of smoking. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking can lead to coronary heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S. CDC also states that cigarette smokers increase their chance of coronary heart disease by two to four times. Smoking increases the chance of heart disease because it limits the amount of oxygen that your heart receives.
Heart Attack
Smoking can also be a contributing factor in heart attacks. If you are already at risk of heart problems, smoking can increase your chances of a heart attack by hardening your arteries and increasing your blood pressure.
Tags: heart disease, lung cancer, your lungs, cancer deaths, coronary heart, coronary heart disease, even secondhand