Smoking cigarettes causes harm to the body in many different ways. The smoke from tobacco has over 60 known cancer-causing chemicals, according to the Mayo Clinic. In addition to the harm caused by inhaling deadly substances in the cigarette, the body forms a dependence on the nicotine found inside the tobacco. Even with the known dangers of cigarette smoking, around 45 million American adults smoke, according to the Merck Manual of Medical Information. Smoking carries a high risk of developing a serious medical condition, such as heart disease and cancer.
Cancer
Cigarettes are a known carcinogen, meaning cigarettes directly cause cancer. Smoking causes a mutation in the genetic makeup of an individual, impairs lung function and alters the proper function of the immune system. Together, these factors increase the risk of developing cancer. Smoking cigarettes leads to many different forms of cancer, including lung cancer, throat cancer and colorectal cancer. Each year, physicians link the cause of 85 percent of newly diagnosed head and neck cancers to smoking tobacco, according to the National Cancer Institute. Lung cancer leads the pack for cancer deaths in the United States each year, and cigarette smokers have the highest risk of developing this cancer.
Heart Problems
Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of developing heart and other circulatory system disorders because every cigarette smoked damages the heart and its blood vessels. The risk of having a massive heart attack doubles for individuals smoking 15 cigarettes each day, according to the Mayo Clinic. Smoking exacerbates a current heart condition or diseases affecting the blood vessels, such as artherosclerosis. An increased risk of having a stroke also occurs from regular cigarette smoking.
Lung Conditions
Smoking cigarettes damages the lungs and places the smoker at risk for developing additional serious lung conditions in addition to lung cancer. Some of these conditions include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic coughing and bronchitis. Bronchitis occurs due to an inflammation in the lining of the tubes that exchange air in the lungs. COPD is chronic obstruction of the airways of the lungs. The decreased immunity that follows cigarette smoking also increases the risk of developing the seasonal flu, common colds and other respiratory infections.
Fertility Problems
Smokers have an increased risk of infertility problems. Women may have more difficulty achieving a pregnancy and men may have impotence issues. Once pregnant, a woman who continues to smoke increases the risk of having a miscarriage, a baby with a low birth weight or a premature infant.
Endangering Others
People exposed to secondhand smoke have a higher risk of developing lung cancer and other conditions, such as heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. Infants living in a house with a cigarette smoker have a higher incidence of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and have more medical problems, such as asthma, when compared to infants living without exposure to secondhand smoke.
