For a quick summary of the diseases and illnesses caused by smoking cigarettes, consumers need only glance at the product labels. The Office of the U.S. Surgeon General requires labeling to warn tobacco users of their risk for three major, potentially fatal illnesses. The surgeon general counts many more serious diseases in connection with breathing first- and secondhand, or active and passive, smoke. Health problems associated with pregnancy and child development are also proven to be more prevalent among cigarette smokers.
Cancer
Smoking cigarettes causes lung cancer via active or passive smoke. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that smokers' risks for lung cancer and additional cancers grows along with the volume of smoke inhaled and the length of individual habits.
Lung cancer is usually fatal. Smoking also causes cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus and stomach, and of the kidney, pancreas, bladder, uterus and cervix. Cancer remains America's number-two killer.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Tobacco use causes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, a pair of health problems known collectively as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. They are characterized by degradation of the bronchi, or airways, and lung tissue over time. Together they represent the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, as per the American Lung Association.
Coronary Heart Disease
In the case of coronary heart disease, tobacco use creates the conditions that predispose smokers to risk and closes the circle to cause the disease in a certain number of individuals. The American Heart Association notes that smoking cigarettes causes high blood pressure, high cholesterol and atherosclerosis, or narrowed arteries, which gradually lead to heart disease.
This sets the stage for health problems including vascular disease and potentially fatal aneurysm, stroke and heart attack in individuals exposed to first- or secondhand smoke. Heart disease and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death in the U.S.
Pneumonia
According to the CDC, smoking causes a greater number of serious respiratory infections, including pneumonia, which can be fatal. The action of tobacco use on the immune system, along with damage to the lungs and airways, allows bacterial and viral infections to take hold. The 2004 Surgeon General report on smoking cigarettes revealed the specific causal connection between smoking and pneumonia.
Cataracts
The same report noted that smoking causes organ damage to the eyes, in the form of cataracts, as the Department of Health and Human Services, HHS relates. Cataracts reduce vision partially or totally, but may be corrected through surgery.
Periodontitis
The HHS also announced the surgeon general's determination that smoking causes periodontitis, an extremely damaging gum disease. Gums, bone and teeth can all be affected by this health problem, which also adds to an individual's chances of contracting heart disease.
References
- U.S. Surgeon General: Tobacco Labeling Requirements
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Smoking Health Effects
- American Heart Association: Cigarette Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease
- American Lung Association: COPD
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: List of Diseases Caused by Smoking
