According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking is responsible for one in five deaths each year. You may already know that smoking causes health risks such as an increased chance of developing several types of cancer and heart disease. However, you may not have been aware of certain other health hazards associated with smoking. If you smoke, the only way to avoid the negative effects of smoking is to quit.
Cancer
One of the main hazards of smoking cigarettes is the higher risk of cancer. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that smokers have an increased chance of developing certain types of cancers, including lung, oral, bladder, pancreatic and cervical. If you smoke, you also increase the cancer risk of your loved ones and family members who live with you. Secondhand smoke is the cause of 3,400 lung cancer deaths in nonsmokers each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Coronary Disease
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk of smokers getting heart disease is two to four times greater than that of nonsmokers. Heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure and abdominal aortic aneurysms are more likely to occur in smokers. Additionally, smoking causes reduced circulation, which increases the risk of peripheral vascular disease, a condition in which the arteries in your legs and lungs are obstructed, causing problems such as pain or even gangrene.
Lung Disease
It's no surprise that smokers are in a higher risk category for contracting diseases of the lungs. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that lung disease can include diseases of the airway tubes, lung tissue or pulmonary circulation. You also increase your chances of getting emphysema, chronic bronchitis, smoker's cough and asthma. Your children are at a higher risk of developing lung disease if they are exposed to secondhand smoke. Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke have an increased risk of asthma and lung infections, according to the American Cancer Society.
Reproductive Risks
According to the CDC, smoking can cause infertility. If you're pregnant, smoking can also increase the chances of having a pre-term birth, stillbirth or of your baby dying from sudden infant death syndrome.
