The statement, “cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health” is not widely known for nothing. It tells the truth, and indeed, smoking is hazardous to your health. It kills, and it can bring a person in his early deathbed especially if the habit is severe. With shorter life expectancy, and other risks to be found in smoking, let us find out the kind of common diseases a smoker can get from patronizing the sticks containing tobacco.
Heart disease is one of the main health-related killers around the world, and this problem can be heightened if a person smokes. Nicotine, a drug causing cigarette addiction, can increase the levels of cholesterol in the body. Cholesterol is not soluble in blood, and it builds up in the inner wall of the arteries causing it to form a thick deposit and limiting its flexibility. When the arteries harden, it narrows the flow of the blood resulting to clotting, and the smoker will suffer atherosclerosis. Smoking accelerates the process of hardening and narrowing the arteries, and blood clots will continue to form until it develops into different cardiovascular problems such as:
Coronary Thrombosis – The heart have three arteries that helps supply the body with blood and oxygen. If one of the arteries will suffer blood clot, the supply of blood to that part of the heart will stop. This leads to coronary thrombosis or myocardial infarction, in layman's term is heart attack.
Cerebral Thrombosis – When an artery that carries blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot, cerebral thrombosis occur. The lack of blood supply makes the brain and its cells starved of oxygen causing the person to collapse and worse paralysis. It is popularly known as 'stroke'. Damage to the supply of blood to the brain is one of the major factor in dementia.
Other parts of the body like the kidney can also suffer from clotted arteries. According to studies, cigarette smokers tend to develop cardiovascular problems 10 years younger than the non-smokers.
There are three kinds of cancers most common to smokers such as throat cancer, mouth cancer, and lung cancer. These types of diseases are not common to non-smokers, but they can be severe to those who cannot quit the puff. In over 4,000 chemical compounds found in cigarettes, 60 are known to be carcinogenic. The risk in acquiring lung cancer is higher when you started smoking younger. Other forms of cancer that can be suffered by smokers are, cancer of the esophagus, bladder, kidneys, pancreas, and, cervix.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
COPD is generally known as difficulty in breathing caused by the blockage of the airflow. It can be caused by two pulmonary disorders:
Emphysema: When the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs are damaged it causes shortness of breath. It is often long-term and progressive.
Chronic Bronchitis: The inflamed bronchi (bronchial tubes) produces excessive mucus that will lead to cough and difficulty to breath.
The diseases given above are the most common health problems that can be acquired through tobacco smoking. Other health risks may also develop, and if a smoker will not be watchful of his health, he may be caught in a dilemma where it will be too late for him to save his life.