Effect of Cigarettes In Hum an

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Harmful Effects of Smoking

Every year hundreds of thousands of people around the world die from diseases caused by smoking cigarettes - Smoking KILLS. One in two lifetime smokers will die from their habit. Half of these deaths will occur in middle age. Tobacco smoke also contributes to a number of cancers. The mixture of nicotine and carbon monoxide in each cigarette you smoke temporarily increases your heart rate and blood pressure, straining your heart and blood vessels. This can cause heart attacks and stroke. It slows your blood flow, cutting off oxygen to your feet and hands. Some smokers end up having their limbs amputated. Tar coats your lungs like soot in a chimney and causes cancer. A 20-a-day smoker breathes in up to a full cup (210 g) of tar in a year. Changing to low-tar cigarettes does not help because smokers usually take deeper puffs and hold the smoke in for longer, dragging the tar deeper into their lungs. Carbon monoxide robs your muscles, brain and body tissue of oxygen, making your whole body and especially your heart work harder. Over time, your airways swell up and let less air into your lungs. Smoking causes disease and is a slow way to die. The strain of smoking effects on the body often causes years of suffering. Emphysema is an illness that slowly rots your lungs. People with emphysema often get bronchitis again and again, and suffer lung and heart failure. Lung cancer from smoking is caused by the tar in tobacco smoke. Men who smoke are ten times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smokers. Heart disease and strokes are also more common among smokers than non-smokers. Smoking causes fat deposits to narrow and block blood vessels which leads to heart attack. Smoking causes around one in five deaths from heart disease. In younger people, three out of four deaths from heart disease are due to smoking. Cigarette smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight, prematurity, spontaneous abortion, and perinatal mortality in humans, which has been referred to as the fetal tobacco syndrome.
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What are the symptoms of smoking and smoking-related diseases?

There are many signs and symptoms of smoking and smoking-related diseases including addiction to nicotine, a harmful substance found in tobacco.

Symptoms of smoking and smoking-related diseases

Symptoms of smoking and related diseases, disorders and conditions include: Bad breath and yellowing of the teeth Cold hands and feet Frequent or recurrent lung infections and other diseases, such as influenza, common colds, bronchitis, and pneumonia Hypertension (high blood pressure) and rapid heart rate Loss of taste and smell Low oxygen levels in the blood Low tolerance for exercise and fatigue Nicotine-stained fingers and teeth Premature aging and wrinkling of the skin Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing Smoker's cough (an ongoing loose cough that produces phlegm) and hoarse voice Smoky-smelling clothes and hair

Symptoms of smoking cessation

If you are a smoker who attempts to quit smoking, you may experience symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Symptoms of nicotine withdrawal decrease over time and will eventually go away. Symptoms of nicotine addiction and nicotine withdrawal include: Anxiety Constipation Cravings for tobacco
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Difficulty concentrating Dizziness Fatigue Headache Hunger Irritability Mood swings Sleep disturbances Tremors

Serious symptoms that might indicate a life-threatening condition

Long-term smoking can result in serious and life-threatening diseases and conditions, such as oral cancer, lung cancer, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and

pneumonia. Seek prompt medical care if you have sores or ulcers in your mouth that do not heal, which could be a symptom of oral cancer, or a cough that does not go away, which is a possible symptom of lung cancer. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have any of these potentially symptoms: Chest pain, chest tightness, chest pressure, or palpitations High fever (higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit) Persistent, wet cough that produces thick greenish, yellow, brown, or blood-tinged phlegm Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

What causes smoking?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 46 million people in the United States (18 years of age and older) smoke cigarettes. Smoking is more common in men than women and appears to be prevalent across a variety of different ethnic groups. The highest percentage of smokers is in the 25 to 44-year old age group. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/index.htm Despite the prevalence of smoking, the factors that lead a person to start smoking are difficult to understand. In many cases, smoking is started at a young age due to peer pressure, tobacco advertising, or a concept that smoking is an acceptable behavior. Many people who start smoking have a family member or close friend who smokes. Once started, cigarette smoking and chewing tobacco are difficult to stop. It is a well-known fact that smoking and chewing tobacco are behaviors that can become addictions due to the presence of nicotine and other chemicals generated from smoking. Like many other addictive substances, these chemicals trigger a series of biochemical reactions and pleasant sensations to which you
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can quickly become accustomed. Regular tobacco users eventually develop a need to experience these sensations in order to feel normal, which makes quitting a difficult challenge.

What are the risk factors for smoking?

Although there does not appear to be a specific trigger that causes a person to start smoking or chewing tobacco, there are several risk factors associated with smoking. Risk factors include: Behavioral problems such as aggression Family member who smokes Lack of education past high school Low self-esteem Poor financial or social status Poor school or academic performance

How is smoking treated?

Quitting smoking is a very challenging undertaking that often requires several attempts before you can successfully and permanently quit. The best way to quit smoking is through a multifaceted smoking cessation program that includes perseverance, the support of the people close to the smoker, and often nicotine replacement therapy.

Nicotine replacement therapy

Nicotine replacement therapy is one option that helps to minimize the nicotine cravings associated with nicotine withdrawal. Nicotine replacement therapy, when used as directed, is generally considered safe, and is safer than the nicotine in cigarettes. This is because nicotine replacement products contain lower amounts of nicotine than cigarettes and do not expose the smoker to the tar and toxic gasses contained in cigarette smoke. Nicotine replacement therapies are available in a variety of forms including patches, gums and lozenges, which are available without a prescription. A nicotine replacement nasal spray, an inhaler, and pills are also available but require a prescription. For optimal results when choosing and using a nicotine replacement therapy product, it is recommended that you see your health care provider prior to treatment. Because nicotine replacement therapies, like all medications, have potential side effects, a licensed health care provider will complete a full evaluation, including a medical history and physical, before recommending which product is best for you. Nicotine replacement therapy should not be used by pregnant or nursing women. A supportive environment is also important for successful smoking cessation. This is because nicotine replacement therapy only helps smokers to withdraw from the physical symptoms of nicotine addiction, but does not help smokers to change the habitual behavior of smoking. If you are trying to quit smoking, a support group may help you to better cope with the psychological and physiological effects of no longer smoking.

What are the potential complications of smoking?

There are many complications of smoking that are serious and even life threatening. Smoking causes or aggravates many diseases and damages almost every tissue and organ in the body. Cigarette smoking was responsible for one in five deaths in the United States during 2000 to 2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/tobacco_related_mortality /#cigs

People who are physically close to a smoker on a frequent basis can also experience similar effects due to the inhalation of secondhand smoke. Smoking cigarettes also exposes you to over 4,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. Toxins found in cigarettes include formaldehyde and cyanide.

Smoking and cancer

Smoking causes many cancers and the vast majority of cases of lung cancer. Cancers caused by smoking include: Bladder cancer Cancer of the pharynx and larynx (voice box) Esophagus cancer Kidney cancer Leukemia Lung cancer Oral cancers Pancreas cancer Stomach cancer Throat cancer Uterine cancer

Smoking and lung, heart, and vascular disease

Smoking causes life-threatening lung and cardiovascular diseases, such as: Abdominal aortic aneurysm Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis) Coronary heart disease

Smoking also exposes you to carbon monoxide, a gas that lowers the level of oxygen in the blood. This is further complicated by the fact that smoking constricts blood vessels, decreasing blood flow to vital organs, such as the brain and heart and large arteries of the arms and legs, which can lead to peripheral vascular disease. Smoking also thickens the blood and increases the risk of developing life-threatening blood clots and complications of blood clots including: Buergers disease (acute inflammation and clotting of arteries and veins) Deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the leg) Heart attack Higher risk of serious blood clots in women who take contraceptives containing hormones Pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung) Stroke

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Smoking and pregnancy

Smoking causes or increases the risk of serious complications with pregnancy and infections in infants including: Increased risk of ear infections in infants and toddlers exposed to secondhand smoke Infertility Low birth weight babies Premature delivery Stillbirth Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Other complications of smoking

Smoking worsens or increases the risk of many diseases and serious medical conditions including: Cardiovascular and heart diseases Diabetes High cholesterol and atherosclerosis Hypertension (high blood pressure) Osteoporosis and hip fractures Increased heart rate Blood vessel irritation and a higher risk of developing blood clots, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke

Smoking also exposes you to nicotine, which is an addictive drug whose side effects include:

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