Smoking cigarettes puts the body in frequent contact with toxins, irritants and carcinogens that all create adverse effects on human health. Because some of these health problems tend to develop over time, many tobacco users don't perceive the various risks as urgent enough to quit the habit. The U.S. Surgeon General, however, puts the consequences of smoking in plain terms based on statistical evidence: "Smoking causes death." The good news is that many health risks can be reversed by giving up cigarettes for good.
Addiction
Addiction to highly toxic nicotine raises tobacco users' tolerance for that chemical, requiring more of it to achieve the same high or feelings of pleasure. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that this increased insensivity makes it very difficult or even impossible for some people to quit smoking cigarettes. Smoking is not a part-time hobby. Being addicted means that individuals are compelled to continually use products that gradually deteriorate their health.
Respiratory Disease
Smoking damages the airways and lung tissue, leading to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the term for paired emphysema and bronchitis. The American Lung Association notes that this condition is the fourth greatest cause of death in the United States. Among the many health problems that accompany breathing difficulty due to COPD are life-threatening lung infections, such as pneumonia. When lung function is incomplete, other systems of the body that rely on oxygen can malfunction, possibly leading to organ failure. About 85 percent of COPD deaths nationwide are attributed to tobacco use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease develops in smokers whose higher blood cholesterol creates atherosclerosis, or narrowed arteries. Attendant health problems such as high blood pressure and blood clots can create life-threatening situations. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number-one cause of U.S. deaths, augmented by the hundreds of thousands of smokers who succumb to heart attack, stroke and aneurysm each year.
Reproductive Disorders
In addition to a potential risk for prostate, uterus, cervical and breast cancer, smoking cigarettes is known to increase the likelihood of health problems related to conception, fetal development and the delivery process. The CDC notes that tobacco use increases risk for infertility, stillbirths, premature delivery and low birth weight.
Cancer
Smokers' risks for developing a variety of cancers are much higher than those of the general U.S. population. Smoking cigarettes causes 85 percent of all lung cancer deaths, according to the CDC. The CDC also reports that the carcinogens in cigarettes travel throughout the body and may bind to major organs. Among the cancer risks elevated by smoking are leukemia and cancers of the mouth, larynx, throat, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, stomach and bladder. The CDC reports that cancers of all types represent the second greatest cause of death in America.
