Smoking affects nearly every organ in the body, and smoking-related illness causes nearly 400,000 deaths in the U.S., according to the National Institutes of Health. Approximately 87 percent of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking, according to MedlinePlus. Discontinuing the use of cigarettes, however, reduces your risk for smoking-related health complications.
Damage to your Body
Approximately 50 percent of people who continue to smoke will die a smoking-related death. Smoking causes 9 out of 10 lung cancer cases. Smoking is a causative factor in cancers of the esophagus, throat, mouth, bladder, pancreas and kidney. Leukemia is also caused by smoking, according to MayoClinic.com.
Secondhand Smoke
Smoking doesn't just harm the smoker, it has damaging effects on family members, children and coworkers, as well. The habit is responsible for up to 300,000 cases of pneumonia and bronchitis in infants up to the age of 18 months annually, according to the National Institutes of Health. Secondhand smoke in children boosts risk for coughing, ear problems and exacerbation of asthma.
Family Habits
Smoking has a direct and contagious effect within the family. If both parents smoke, teenagers are more than twice as likely to start smoking. Even if only one parent smokes, a teenager is still more likely to start smoking, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Quitting Smoking
Discontinuing the use of cigarettes decreases your risk for lung cancer and other cancers, according to the National Institutes of Health. It also decreases your risk for bronchitis and pneumonia. Medications can help you quit. A topical nicotine patch, available over-the-counter, delivers nicotine to the bloodstream to curb the craving to smoke. Quitting with the use of nicotine gum, another OTC product, involves chewing up to 20 pieces daily to minimize cravings. Nicotine lozenges are also available, and work similarly to nicotine gum, according to MayoClinic.com.
Prescription products, such as nicotine nasal spray and nicotine inhalers, also assist with smoking cessation programs. Prescription antidepressants, such as bupropion, are also used to help patients quit smoking, according to MayoClinic.com.
Warnings
Smoking has serious effects on pregnant women. Smoking while pregnant increases your risk for miscarriage, low birthweight and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in babies, according to MayoClinic.com. Low-birthweight babies of women who smoked during pregnancy are also more likely to develop learning and physical problems. Work with your doctor to quit smoking if you're pregnant.
