Smoking and Its Effects on Your Body

Today, smoking is a major cause of death throughout the world. According to World Health Organization (WHO), the first warning signs that smoking was harming peoples' health emerged back in the 1930's when physicians saw an increase in lung diseases such as lung cancer and emphysema. Through thousands of studies and research that has been conducted around the world, it has been proven that prolonged smoking causes premature death and disability. Smokers are more prone to develop lung cancer, emphysema, angina, osteoporosis, premature aging and having strokes.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), between 1950 to 2000, an estimated 66 million people worldwide died from tobacco-related diseases. The annual death rate is 4 million worldwide. Each year, approximately 500,000 Americans die prematurely as a result of smoking-related diseases. Scientists estimate during the 21st century, the total number of deaths from smoking-related cause could be as high as 1 billion. By 2030, smoking will probably be the deadliest cause of death in the world, causing about one in three of all adult deaths.

People who smoke are more likely than non-smokers to have an increased risk in the following conditions:

* Severe circulatory disease
* Angina
* Peripheral vascular disease
* Stomach and duodenal ulcers
* Influenza
* Pneumonia
* Cataract
* Loss of vision
* Abnormal eye movements
* Fungal eye infection
* Macular degeneration
* Gum disease and tooth loss
* Colon polyps
* Chronic inflamed bowl (Chron's disease)
* Osteoarthritis
* Osteoporosis
* Depression
* Tuberculosis
* Hearing loss
* Diabetes
* Psoriasis
* Skin wrinkling
* Tendon and ligament injuries
* Muscle injuries

There are also a wide range of little publicized health problems associated with smoking. It can affect your sense of taste and smell. Smokers are more prone to develop facial wrinkles at a younger age and have dental problems. Stomach ulcers are made worse by smoking and wounds take longer to heal. In men, sperm count and ejaculation is reduced. With teenage smokers, they experience more respiratory symptoms and asthma than non-smokers, suffer poorer health and are less fit.

The immediate effects of smoking include:

* changes in blood vessels
* bronchitis
* lower resistance to infection
* damage to the cilia lining the trachea and bronchial tubes, allowing more dirt, mucus and germs to accumulate in the lungs
* more frequent coughs, colds, earaches, sore throats and other minor ailments
* higher levels of carbon monoxide, leading to a lack of energy.

Emphysema

Emphysema is a long-term chronic condition affecting the lungs. Continual coughing causes the aveoli, which are small sacs in your lungs, to join together. This means there are fewer, larger sacs and a reduced surface area of the lungs which oxygen can be absorbed. People who suffer from emphysema are unable to oxygenate the body properly and they become exhausted after the slightest exercise. Currently, there is not a cure for this disease. Most sufferers become bedridden and have to use an oxygen tank to breathe.

Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer in the world. According to The American Cancer Society, approximately 165,000 new cases were diagnosed in the United States in 2000, and in the same year more than 157,000 Americans died of the disease. Most of the new cases are people in their 60s and 70s who started smoking early in their life during World War II.

The number of deaths are beginning to decline due to people giving up smoking. There are fewer men suffering from lung cancer, and an increasing number of women are being diagnosed with this disease due to the high number of women who are becoming habitual smokers.

Angina

Angina is a condition where the coronary arteries become partially blocked. This is a serious condition, because the coronary arteries supply the heart muscle with oxygenated blood. When angina occurs, the heart is unable to get the high supply of oxygenated blood, which is needed to stay alive. Usually when angina occurs, a person will suffer from chest pains during or after exercise or any strenuous activity. As a result, a person can suffer from a heart attack if the coronary arteries are not unblocked. A person with blocked coronary arteries can have coronary bypass surgery. This is when a blocked part of the artery will be replaced by a vein taken from the leg.

Strokes

Strokes occur when the blood flow through the arteries supplying the brain becomes restricted. The part of the brain that is deprived can starve and ultimately the brain cells in that area die causing a stroke to occur. As a result, a person who suffers from a stroke has a loss of function associated with the part of the brain that was starved of oxygen. Smoking causes an increase in blood pressure which increases the likelihood of a stroke.

Premature Aging

Smoking can cause premature aging to occur in young people. The smoke damages the skin's structure by destroying collagen, which is one of the most important structural components of the skin. The collagen fibers give support to the skin and keep it firm and from wrinkling. When the collagen becomes damaged, the skin loses its elasticity and becomes stiff. This will result in wrinkles, especially around the eyes and mouth. Usually by the time the smoker turns 40, they will look 20 years older than their actual age.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects older people, especially women. Due to a loss of bone density, the bones become brittle. When an older woman fall, osteoporosis makes it more likely that she will fracture her hip. According to the Health Education Authority Family Smoking Project, researchers have found that the bones of smokers lose calcium at a greater rate than the bones of non-smokers.

As you can see, smoking takes a huge toll on a person's body and overall health. There are many, increased risks to chronic illnesses due to smoking. The best solution to lower your risk to these serious health conditions is to quit smoking. Quitting smoking is not easy, but after reading about these diseases that are caused from smoking, it shouldn't be a difficult decision to make.

Other Resources for More Information about Smoking and It Risks:

www.cdc.gov/tobacco/edumat.htm
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
This site provides data, tables, results of smoking surveys and plenty of educational materials.

www.thetruth.com
This site designed for young people lets them learn about the 2001 Truth Tour, read up-to-date information about tobacco and tobacco companies. And, also you can learn about ways young people can get involved with the fight against tobacco and its manufacturers as well as helping friends and family not to smoke.