Before you light up another cigarette to reduce your stress and worries, think again. A single puff of smoke could cause great harm to your health and overall living.
Smokers as well as passive smokers are both equally at risk of contracting a number of harmful diseases like lung cancer, oral cancer, and many other cardiovascular diseases.
So why does one smoke? Sometimes just for the thrill of it, some do it to relieve their stress and some just due to mere peer pressure. Across the world there are zillions of people addicted to cigarettes who find it extremely difficult to quit. Eventually they get addicted to the nicotine present in the cigarette.
The effects of smoking are very severe and no amount of healthy eating and physical exercises can get rid of this problem. Considering the figures across the world, about 50% of long term smokers die prematurely. Deaths among children and women caused due to passive smoking is also on a rise.
There are a number of diseases associated with cigarette smoking. Some of the diseases are fatal and cause serious ill effects to the persons body. Common cold and cough and respiratory infections are common complaints among smokers.
Some of the dreadful diseases caused by smoking are as follows:
Cancer:
The most common cause of cancer is cigarette smoking. The carcinogens, such as tar, present in tobacco smoke causes oral, throat, gullet and lung cancer. About 90% lung cancer cases are caused by smoking. Other types of cancer caused by smoking are pancreatic cancer, cancer in kidneys and bladder. Cervical cancer is common among female smokers.
Cardiovascular disease:
Smoking increases the cholesterol levels enabling the fats to get deposited in the arteries thus blocking and making them very rigid in the process. The hardening of the arteries takes place over the years but with the help of smoking, this process becomes easier.
The risk of cardiovascular diseases increases as smoking blocks the arteries causing blood clots.
COPD:
Smoking also causes Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Due to this condition, the airflow is blocked making it extremely difficult to breathe.
Emphysema is a condition in which the alveoli gets damaged due to severe breathlessness.
Frequent cough along with nasal mucus is caused during Chronic bronchitis. About 80% of COPD cases are caused due smoking. Smoking enables breathlessness thus reducing the lung functions causing death.
Common problems caused by smoking:
The other health conditions caused by smoking are as follows:
-Oral teeth decay, teeth and gums conditions, loose teeth and bad breath.
-Early ageing causing wrinkles and loose skin. Blood supply to skin reduces due to smoking causing pale looking skin.
-Worsens asthma causing inflammations in airways.
-Sexual problems, fertility problems and sexual performance issues.
-Chest infections, diabetic retinopathy, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease.
– Risk of high blood pressure, thus causing heart attacks and strokes.
Diseases caused due to passive smoking:
Not only do active smokers suffers from the ill effects of smoking, second hand smokers are also equally effected. Kids and children who are exposed to secondhand smoke suffer from chest congestions, infections of ear and nose and breathing conditions. Their body weight during birth is also very low and their lung size also does not grow. Their behaviour also becomes aggressive and antisocial.
There are serious ill effects of exposing pregnant women to smoking. The risk of miscarriage is greater among women who smoke during pregnancy. Premature birth, ectopic pregnancy, complications such as bleeding and detachment of placenta are serious conditions of other complications caused due to smoking.
Thus to avoid these dreadful diseases and for a healthy lifestyle, quitting smoking is the only solution. The deaths caused due to smoking occurs every 7 minutes, so lets kick this bad habit and resort to healthy living.
