Join over , people who receive the latest news about lung health, including COVID, research, air quality, inspiring stories and resources. Thank you! You will now receive email updates from the American Lung Association. Select your location to view local American Lung Association events and news near you. Our service is free and we are here to help you. Section Menu. Lung Cancer More people die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer.
Heart Disease Smoking harms nearly every organ in your body, including your heart. Stroke Because smoking affects your arteries, it can trigger stroke. Asthma Asthma is a chronic lung disease that makes it harder to move air in and out of your lungs—otherwise known as "breathing.
Reproductive Effects in Women Smoking can cause ectopic pregnancy in women, which is when a fertilized egg implants somewhere other than the uterus.
Premature, Low Birth-Weight Babies The effects of smoking not only impact mom's health, but also that of her baby. Diabetes You're more likely to get type 2 diabetes if you smoke.
Smoking, including secondhand smoke, is the leading cause of lung cancer. Symptoms of lung cancer include:. Other cancers. Smoking increases the risk of lung and oral cancer. But it also increases the risk of other respiratory system cancers.
These include cancer of the nose, sinuses, voice box, and throat. Smoking also increases the risk of many other cancers of GI gastrointestinal , urinary, and female reproductive systems. The symptoms of smoking-related lung diseases may look like other lung conditions or health problems.
If you have any symptoms of lung disease, see your healthcare provider as soon as possible. Secondhand smoke is smoke that is exhaled by smokers and smoke emitted from the burning end of a lit cigarette, cigar, or pipe. It can also lead to lung conditions and heart disease.
Symptoms linked to secondhand smoke exposure may include:. Children and infants exposed to tobacco smoke are more likely to experience ear infections, and asthma. They are also at a higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome SIDS than children and infants not exposed to secondhand smoke. People who quit smoking can actually reverse some of the lung damage. Other benefits of quitting smoking may include the following:.
Cigars actually pose the same, if not greater, risk as cigarettes for oral cancer. Although many cigar smokers do not inhale, their risk for oral, throat, and esophageal cancers is the same as for cigarette smokers.
Consider these facts from the CDC:. There is no direct evidence with which to answer this question. According to the WHO , tobacco users are less likely to become infected with COVID if they quit smoking as it will reduce hand-to-mouth transmission. In addition, as well as the near-immediate improvements to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems outlined above, comorbidities such as cardiovascular conditions, lung conditions, and diabetes can improve very soon after quitting smoking.
Are there ways to increase the success of smoking cessation attempts in the current circumstances? Even though options for face-to-face support and prescription medications may be limited in the current COVID outbreak, there is abundant evidence for the effectiveness of other forms of smoking cessation support. Nicotine replacement therapies are widely available in supermarkets and pharmacies. Evidence from randomized controlled trials shows that using two forms of nicotine replacement therapy at the same time a patch plus a faster-acting form like gum or lozenge increases the chances of quitting compared to a single form and is as effective as prescription stop-smoking medications.
Accessing behavioural support on its own or in addition to pharmacotherapy also increases long-term quit rates. There is good quality evidence that telephone counselling as provided by national quitlines, for example , increases quit rates. There is also evidence that internet , text-message , and print-based interventions increase quit rates.
Quitting smoking can be stressful, but there is evidence that quitting smoking leads to improvements in mental health. There is evidence that cutting down to quit gradually reducing cigarette consumption is as effective for long-term smoking cessation as stopping abruptly. The early morning cough common among people who smoke happens for many reasons. Normally, tiny hair-like structures called cilia in the airways help sweep harmful material out of the lungs.
But tobacco smoke slows this sweeping action, so some of the mucus and particles in the smoke stay in the lungs and airways. After waking up, the person coughs because the lungs are trying to clear away the irritants and mucus that built up from the day before.
Smoking tobacco damages your heart and blood vessels cardiovascular system , increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke. Smoking causes high blood pressure, lowers your ability to exercise, and makes your blood more likely to clot.
It also lowers HDL good cholesterol levels in the blood. All of these are risk factors for heart attacks and strokes. Smoking is a major risk factor for peripheral arterial disease PAD. In PAD, plaque builds up in the arteries that carry blood to the head, organs, and limbs.
This increases your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Smoking increases the risk of having an aortic aneurysm. This is a balloon-like bulge in the aorta, the main artery carrying blood from the heart to other organs. It is caused by a weakening of the wall of the aorta. Aortic aneurysms can grow larger over time, and they can be life threatening if they rupture break open. Smoking can cause or worsen poor blood flow to the arms and legs, which is called peripheral vascular disease or PVD.
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