Tobacco use is deadly. In fact, smoking cigarettes, pipes, or cigars is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cigarette smoking causes about 1 out of every 5 deaths in the United States each year. Annually, smoking cigarettes is estimated to cause 443,000 deaths, including 49,400 from secondhand smoke exposure, 269,655 among men and 173,940 among women, the CDC says.
Significance
Smoking tobacco can turn easily into a hard habit to kick. Smoke from tobacco contains nicotine, a drug that the National Institutes of Health says is addictive and can make it very hard, although not impossible, to quit smoking.
Cancer Concerns
Smoking greatly increases the risks of getting lung cancer as well as a number of other cancers, NIH says. Among men who smoke cigarettes, the risk of developing lung cancer is about 23 times higher compared with nonsmokers, reports the CDC, and approximately 13 times higher among women,
Cancers of the lip, oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, pancreas, larynx or voice box, lung, uterine cervix, urinary bladder, and kidney can be caused by smoking, the CDC says.
The CDC also reports that ethnicity plays a role in the occurrence of cancers related to cigarette smoking. Cancer rates are highest among African-American men, the center reports.
Heart Disease and Strokes
Smoking causes the leading cause of death in the United States: coronary heart disease, the CDC says. Cigarette smokers are 2 to 4 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than nonsmokers, the CDC notes. Additionally, cigarette smoking can double a person's risk for stroke, the CDC says.
Peripheral vascular disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm are other risks smokers face since inhaling cigarette smoke causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels or arteries.
A disease of the blood vessels located outside of the heart, PVD impacts the peripheral circulation, according to NIH, which adds that PVD usually affects the legs but also can impact the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the head, arms, kidneys and stomach. Blocked blood flow can cause tissue death in the form of gangrene, NIH adds, and can lead to leg amputation.
AAA is a ballooning of the main artery running through the abdomen, according to HealthFinder.gov,, which adds that a ruptured AAA can cause either dangerous bleeding or death. Burst AAAs are the 13th leading cause of death in the United States, according to the University of Southern California Center for Vascular Health.
Respiratory Issues
When it comes to respiratory health, the news doesn't get much better, Cigarette smoking is associated with a tenfold increase in the risk of dying from chronic obstructive lung disease, the CDC says. Approximately 90 percent of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung diseases are attributable to cigarette smoking.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary or COPD is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe, HealthFinder.gov.net reports. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD, it adds.
COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and also is a major cause of disability, NIH says.
Secondhand Smoke
The impact of smoking is not just limited to the smoker. Family members, friends and sometimes business associates as well as others breathe the smoker's cigarette smoke, also known as secondhand smoke.
The statistics are grim. Among infants up to 18 months of age, secondhand smoke is associated with as many as 300,000 cases of bronchitis and pneumonia each year, according to NIH. Secondhand smoke causes coughing, wheezing and sometimes asthma, NIH adds, and it can increase a child's chances for middle ear problems.
Smoking has a negative effect on pregnancy as well. Pregnant women who smoke are more likely to deliver babies with low birth weights, NIH reports,
Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work have a 25 to 30 percent increased chance of heart disease, the CDC says, and have their lung cancer risk increase by 20 to 30 percent.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Smoking: Facts and Tips for Quitting
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Smoking and Tobacco
- HealthFinder.gov: Talk to Your Doctor about Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: National Institutes of Health What is Peripheral Arterial Disease?
- University of Southern California; Vascular Health
