In the early part of the 20th century, society generally accepted smoking as a benign activity. In the 1960s, medical research linking tobacco use to cancer, lung disease and other ailments changed the public impression of cigarettes. Today, smokers often find themselves trapped by an addiction to a habit that vastly increases their risk of developing a life-threatening illness.
Lung Disease
One of the primary dangers of smoking involves the damage it causes to the lungs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking increases your chances of developing lung cancer by 23 times if you're a man and 13 times if you're a woman. Smoking also increases your chances of dying from chronic lung diseases such as emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by more than 12 times. Habitual smoking is responsible for 90 percent of all deaths from lung disease, and the American Cancer Society reports that smoking is the cause of 87 percent of all deaths occurring from lung cancer. Research has linked smoking to a host of other types of cancer as well, including kidney, stomach and bladder cancer.
Cardiovascular Disease
In addition to the damage smoking causes to your lungs, it also causes damage to your heart and circulatory system. Tobacco smoking can lead to coronary disease and a hardening of the arteries, as well to peripheral circulatory problems that can lead to gangrene and other disorders. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that smoking more than doubles your risk of coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death among Americans, as well as increasing your risk of stroke by a factor of two to four.
Smoking While Pregnant
Tobacco smoking during pregnancy is dangerous to both mother and developing child. The American Cancer Society reports that up to 5 percent of all infant deaths from miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS and other causes stem from smoking during pregnancy. Children of mothers who smoke tend to have a low birth weight as well as a shorter term of development, increasing the risk of a premature birth and the associated health complications.
Addiction
One of the indirect risks of smoking is the addictive nature of nicotine. Most smokers nowadays are aware of the health risks, but continue smoking simply because they cannot give up the habit. According to Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, 70 percent of all smokers would like to quit smoking, but have so far been unsuccessful. Counseling, medication therapy and other methods can increase your chances of giving up, but the American Academy of Family Practitioners reports that a doctor's assistance in ending the habit offers smokers as much as a 66 percent better chance of giving up tobacco for good.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking
- American Cancer Society: What in Cigarette Smoke is Harmful?
- Drugs.com: Cigarette Smoking and Its Health Risks
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Surgeon General's Report Details How Smoking Harms Body
- Kid's Health: What Are the Risks of Smoking During Pregnancy?
- Kid's Health: Smoking
