Serious disease and sudden death can arise from the physical and mental health problems caused by tobacco use. The known illnesses related to cigarette smoking extend far beyond emphysema and lung cancer, as the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General has been documenting in earnest for the past decade.
Besides causing potentially fatal diseases, smoking affects human fertility, eyesight, bones and teeth. Cigarette smoke can harm adults, children and developing babies in the womb.
Types
The U.S. Surgeon General's 2004 report explains that the toxic chemicals in smoke enter the bloodstream and travel through the body. Nicotine and other compounds affect the brain, heart and lungs.
Cigarette smoking alters immune system function at the same time that it bombards cells with carcinogens. It affects every stage of reproduction and even changes the properties of the skin and blood.
Identification
Tobacco use is habit forming, and nicotine addiction is considered a disease of the brain, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. From this health problem come the risks for all the other dangers to smokers. According to the surgeon general, cigarette smoking causes chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema and coronary heart disease.
Smoking causes premature birth, low birth weight in babies and sudden infant death syndrome. Osteoporosis, cataracts and periodontitis, a degenerative gum disease, are more common among adult smokers than nonsmokers. Smoke diffused in the bloodstream can cause leukemia and cancers of the mouth, larynx, throat, stomach, esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas, uterus and cervix.
Significance
The four leading causes of death in America---coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease---are associated with tobacco use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that these health problems claim the lives of about 443,000 smokers each year, per 2000 to 2004 data.
Lung cancer and heart disease are the most prevalent causes of death among smokers. These two conditions kill an additional 49,400 nonsmokers annually, as the surgeon general's 2006 report reveals.
Considerations
Those most vulnerable to smoking-related health problems include children under 12 months of age, elderly adults and individuals who already have cardiovascular or respiratory diseases.
Misconceptions
Trying to mitigate the health effects of tobacco use by smoking light or low-tar cigarettes won't work. The surgeon general's 2004 report debunked the safety of this type of tobacco product.
Outdoor cigarette smoking doesn't decrease the health risks of secondhand smoke to other people, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports. Smoke can still be inhaled involuntarily outdoors, and poisonous particles from smoke can be brought indoors on smokers' clothing, skin and hair.
References
- U.S. Surgeon General: 2004 Report, The Health Consequences of Smoking
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Tobacco Addiction
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Leading Causes of Death
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Deaths Attributable to Cigarette Smoking
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Secondhand Smoke and Children
