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Problems With Smoking Cigarettes

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), smoking cigarettes accounts for more than 440,000 of the more than 2.4 million annual deaths in the country. Due to the health risks associated with smoking, cigarette manufacturers are no longer allowed to advertise on television or radio. Because of the risks of second hand smoke, smoking has been banned from public places. Smoking cigarettes is a hard habit to break because cigarette smoke contains nicotine, which is highly addictive. Fortunately, many of the health risks associated with smoking can be reversed once you quit smoking.

  1. Heart Disease

    • According to the AHA, smoking cigarettes raises the risk of coronary heart disease by itself. Smoking is associated with high blood pressure, which contributes to heart and vascular disease. Women who smoke and use birth control pills, are more likely to develop heart disease than non-smoking women who are on the pill, states the AHA. Smoking cigarettes also decreases good (hdl) cholesterol. Good (hdl) cholesterol is important because it helps transport bad (ldl) cholesterol back to the liver, before it has a chance to stick to artery walls. Regular exercise is considered healthy for your heart, however, smoking cigarettes reduces exercise tolerance.

    Cancer

    • According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), cigarette smoking is responsible for approximately 9 out of 10 deaths due to lung cancer. Lung cancer is responsible for more cancer deaths than any other type of cancer. Lung cancer is difficult to treat, however, it often can be prevented. Religious groups that prohibit smoking, such as Mormons, have a much lower incidence of lung cancer, states the ACS. Other types of cancer associated with cigarette smoking are cancers of the: larynx, stomach, pancreas, kidney and bladder. The ACS states that approximately 30 percent of all cancer deaths are related to smoking cigarettes.

    Emphysema

    • Emphysema is a chronic pulmonary disease caused by the gradual destruction of air sacs at the ends of your bronchioles. This condition prevents oxygen in your lungs from reaching your blood. Emphysema patients experience severe shortness of breath that may eventually require them to receive breathing assistance. According to the Mayo Clinic, cigarette smoking is the number one cause of emphysema. Cigarette smokes contains over 4,000 chemicals that destroy air sacs in your lungs, states the Mayo Clinic. The most important step in treating emphysema is to stop smoking. Stopping smoking is the only way to slow the progression of the disease.

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