Smoking has caused and is causing very dangerous many prevailed diseases across the world. If you start to use tobacco contain products, then it is very hard to quit. Moreover, this will make you an addict and you can slowly see the physical and mental changes which will affect your life. The side effects of tobacco will slowly change everything and draw you to death. We have heard and saw many times on TVs, smartphones, theatres about smoking are injurious to health but in-depth, many people still have a lack of awareness about the causes of smoking. In this article, we are going to explore the harmful, ill, and side effects of smoking and also about in detail of tobacco side effects.
Tobacco and its Side Effects
What is tobacco smoke?
Normally, in all the cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and the rest of the varieties, there will be the usage of tobacco products. The tobacco smoking results in a wanted mix of unwanted chemicals with the body and it is more toxic to the body. Normally, Cigarettes contain nearly 600 ingredients. Moreover, when you burn the cigarettes, the ingredients will burn. Furthermore, it will create more than 7000 chemical products which are very poison to the body and as well as to the environment. Nowadays, along with cigarette smoking, the people is also using smokeless tobacco such as chewing tobacco, snuffs, etc; electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), E-cigarettes. Smokeless products are lesser toxic than cigarettes. Many billion of trees is getting destroyed to manufacture the cigarettes.
Tobacco Smoke Contents:
The following are some of the dangerous tobacco products used for smoking. It includes nicotine, acetone, formaldehyde, acetic acid, ammonia, arsenic, benzene, lead, hydrogen cyanide, butane, cadmium, carbon monoxide, hexamine, methanol, tor, naphthalene, cumene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,1,3, Butadiene, vinyl chloride, polonium-210, toluene, etc. Most of the chemicals used in smoking are carcinogenic, which is cancer-causing chemicals.
In general, for cigarettes, they will use tobacco dried leaves along with the above-mentioned set of chemicals for the good pleasant smoke. Moreover, nicotine is used as an addictive drug and which makes the person more addicted to smoking and it will be very hard to follow the quitting of it. Carbon monoxide will reduce the amount of oxygen that is available to the brain, muscles, and other parts of the body. Many radioactive components, toxic metals, metallic elements, hazardous gases are all used in this content which is very dangerous chemicals and it will cause many varieties of diseases which leads to death.
Causes of Smoking:
During repeated puffs in smoking, nicotine will reach the brain and it will help to increase the brain chemicals which is called neurotransmitters. Furthermore, these chemicals will help to regulate the behaviors and also mood swings. So this nicotine will induce certain chemical changes that give a sense of pleasure and good mood. This sense of false pleasure and satisfaction will be a gratification for those who are undergoing stress, depression, etc. So whenever a person smokes a cigarette for sensory happiness, it doesn’t stop with one.
As the habit or feeling that pushes them to smoke will often tend to repeat itself in the smoker’s routine or emotion. For example; smoking when depressed, smoking when having tea/coffee, smoking when stressed, etc. Moreover, the repeated need to smoke will make the person more addicted, thereby this will create health issues when it becomes a long-term habit. This long term-term habit will lead to various harmful side effects caused by smoking. This is the reason, where smoking is difficult to quit permanently. Smoking can lead to any kind of disease which will lead to death.
Types of Smokers
There are types of smokers, where it will cause ill effects on other environmental kinds of stuff. Active smokers, passive smokers, chain smokers are the major type of smokers where they will cause the ill effect to themselves and as well as to other peoples.
- Active smokers are those who are directly smoking the cigarette and exhaling the smoke out from what they inhaled.
- Passive smokers are those who are in immediate contact with the exhaled smoke by the active smoker and the smoke from the burning cigarette. Passive smokers are also those who are referred to the ones that inhale the second-hand; smoke from the burning from the cigarette end and smoke breathed by the smoker.
- Chain smokers are those who are very much addicted to smoking a cigarette such that, the light and smoke cigarettes in continuous succession; one after another. Sometimes chain smokers are so intended to smoking that, they light up another cigarette before finishing off the initial one.
Harmful Causes and Side Effects of Smoking:
The causes of smoking will affect your respiratory system, cardiovascular system, central nervous system, digestive system, reproductive system, and the integumentary system. Majorly the carcinogenic products will make your body inflammation and impairs the whole immune system in your body. One of the harmful side effects is that smoking people have a chance to get a higher risk to get low bone density, so the bone can be injured or broken very easily. This is one of the major harmful, ill effects of smoking. Furthermore, this will tend to develop cancer in any part of your organ in the body. Even the person who is not smoking, that is non- smokers will be get affected by respiratory diseases. The following are the few lists of diseases that are caused by smoking.
- Coronary heart disease
- Peripheral artery disease
- High blood pressure
- Heart diseases
- Different types of cancers
- Lungs diseases
- COPD
- Diabetes
- Emphysema
- Chronic bronchitis
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Gum diseases
- Cleft palates
- Fertility problems
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
- Age-related macular degeneration
- Tuberculosis
- Pneumonia
Harmful ill effects caused by smoking:
Smoking Causes Cancer
Tobacco and most of its associated processed products contain carcinogenic ingredients that will cause cancer. The abnormal cells will grow out of control and those cells will invade other tissues in the body. Furthermore, it will slowly spread throughout the body via vascular & lymph systems. Moreover, smoking drastically increases the chance of getting cancer out of which cancer in the lungs, larynx, mouth, throat, and other parts of the respiratory tract. Such cancer can spread to other parts of the body like the liver, stomach, pancreas, blood, cervix, kidney, colon & rectum, bladder, esophagus. The poisonous chemicals in the cigarette will weaken the immune system. Cancer also damages and changes the nature of DNA, sometimes which is beyond repair. So, one should be very cautious.
Harmful effects of smoking- Cardiovascular diseases
Smoking will cause cardiovascular diseases. The cardiovascular diseases (CVD) will include stroke, high blood pressure, heart attack, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), coronary heart diseases, aneurysm, etc. Furthermore, the inhaled chemical ingredients will slowly damage the heart’s blood vessels, valves, arteries, and veins. The nicotine will restrict the blood flow by tightening the blood vessels in the heart. So this can lead to peripheral arterial disease (PAD). PAD will occur, when the plaque build-up is get settled in the wall, then it tends in narrowing the blood vessels in the heart. So this will automatically restrict the flow of the blood and oxygen throughout the body. So this will lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure, etc. When the arteries wall becomes weaker, it has bulged and this condition is called an aneurysm.
Smoking tobacco side effects will also cause blood clots, high blood pressure, weakening of the arteries, which will result in heart diseases. The other harmful and ill effects of the smoking is, raise of the blood pressure, lowering the good cholesterol level in the body, raising the triglycerides in the body, thickening of the blood vessels, blood clots, etc., which will make you the high risk to get cardiovascular diseases.
Smoking causes Respiratory diseases
Lungs diseases
The inhaling of the smoke will directly affect and damage the air sacs and airways in the lungs. Furthermore, smoking tobacco side effects will trigger asthma and pneumonia and will have many chances to become worse. Smoking will cause lung cancer and lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, which will lead to death. COPD is also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a group of diseases which will make a poor function in the lungs. The COPD’s most common conditions are emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Chronic bronchitis will cause inflammation in the lungs and it tends to narrow the bronchial tubes. Furthermore, this will allow the mucus build-up in the tube. Moreover, these scar tissues and mucus will block airways and it will invite the chronic infections in the lungs which is pneumonia. Emphysema will destroy the air sacs in the lungs, so this will block the airflow in the lungs. So the main symptoms will have shortness of breath, wheezing, etc.
Lung cancer
Tobacco smoking will cause cancer in the lungs. Different types of lung cancer can occur and the main two types of lung cancer are NSCLC which is non- small cell lung cancer and SCLC which is small cell lung cancer. NSCLC is affecting nearly about 85% of the people whereas SCLC affects about 15% of people. Other than cancer, other tumors are also will occur in the lungs. Treatment will be based on the type of lung cancer. Moreover, other than smokers, non-smokers are exposed to secondhand smoke, so they will also have a greater chance of developing lung cancer and also tumors in their body.
Ill effects of smoking- Diabetes
Smoking tobacco tends to increase the resistance for insulin secretion. Mostly type 2 diabetes can occur to the patients and slowly diabetes will raise the other complications in the body and lead to damage and getting diseases like retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy, heart disease, kidney. Moreover, these patients are prone to more infections and also amputation is possible.
Harmful effects of smoking – Eye Problems
One of the tobacco smoke will cause many eye problems such as dry eyes, glaucoma, cataract, macular degeneration which will slowly lead to blurred vision or loss of vision. The person who is having diabetes will also elevate the eye problems.
Side effects of smoking – Unhealthy Oral
Long term smoking will affect your oral hygiene. The smoking person is more prone to infections and inflammation will occur in the mouth is one of the side effects of tobacco smoking. The teeth will become brownish or yellowish strains and they have an increased risk to get gum diseases like periodontitis and they will suffer from continuous tooth loss. The breath will be very bad and stained teeth will be present for a long time. While brushing, bleeding might occur. Long-time smoking will develop mouth cancer.
Ill effects of smoking- Infertility, and Impotence
Smoking can cause fertility and impotence problems in women and men. Women will get infertility issues, so there will be situations that make pregnancy very difficult. Smoking and associated chemicals from smoking is harmful to sperms, this will cause infertility in men too. Men may also get erectile dysfunction. Smoking will cause narrowing of the blood vessels throughout the body, so there will be less blood flow and this will affect the male reproductive part. So the sexual function for the male will be get affected by lowering the hormone levels in the body which is getting the high risk of impotence. The harmful ill effects of smoking are that women will get early menopause which is dangerous.
Smoking causes Pregnancy Complications
Mothers who smoke during times of pregnancy will face many complications during and after pregnancy. There is a chance of getting a high risk of preterm delivery with medical complications. The baby will born with premature problems. Sometimes, the baby’s mouth or lip will not develop properly during pregnancy. So they can get cleft lips and cleft palate. Baby can be born underweight or they can get sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). During pregnancy, there is a chance to get abnormal bleeding which will put both mother and baby in a dangerous condition. After birth, the child can get problems in the heart, lungs, eyes, brain, etc.
Weak Immunity System
The harmful ill effect of smoking is the immune system will get weaker. So they will lose the ability to resist infections or diseases and also cancer. A weak immune system will prone to infections very easily. The other side effect of tobacco smoking is decreasing the sense of tongue (tasting food) and nose (smell). One of the side effects of smoking is they will get a lack of appetite.
Unhealthy Skin, Nail, Hair problems
The smoking tobacco side effects of the person can see the aging of the skin very soon. They will get wrinkles very early and also dry skin will occur due to the restricted blood flow and nutrition in the skin. Wounds will get to take a long time to heal. Continuous smoking will change the structure of the skin. One of the harmful ill effects of smoking are, they will get skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma). The color of the foot nails and fingernails will be changed and they will prone to get more infections. Soon the hair will get grey and also there will be hair loss which will lead to balding.
Smoking causes Rheumatoid Arthritis
Many people who smoke have a chance to get a high risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. This disease is chronic and will cause painful inflammation in the joints of the hands and legs. It will lead to the deformity of joints and also result in bone loss.
General precautions to prevent the harmful ill effects of smoking
- Treatments will get varied for every disease and also for every cancer type. So following the doctor’s instructions will help you to save from the harmful diseases. Generally, the immune system of the smoking person will get weak, so try to eat immune rich foods and follow the regular workouts and meditations properly.
- Quitting smoke will help to prevent you from infections and diseases. Even second-handed smokers have more chances to get cardiovascular diseases. So try to maintain the high blood pressure level, cholesterol level into a normal level. Try to maintain your weight. Leading a proper healthy lifestyle by following a good balanced healthy diet with proper exercises and also with regular mediations and yoga.
- The diabetic patient should be very careful, so quitting smoking will help in recovering from diabetes. They should be conscious about their healthy diet and their weight should be controlled well. Insulin should be injected regularly without fail. Furthermore, they should take medicines to control high blood pressure and also cholesterol levels in their body. They should do follow the physical exercises with the doctor’s guidance.
- Pregnant ladies should consult their doctor and take the necessary medications accordingly. Using more drugs also can complicate the pregnancy, so consult the doctor’s guidance before consuming the drugs.
FAQs regarding the harmful ill effects of smoking
COPD is also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a group of diseases which will make a poor function in the lungs. The COPD’s most common conditions are emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Passive smokers are those who are in immediate contact with the exhaled smoke by the active smoker and the smoke from the burning cigarette. Passive smokers are also those who are referred to the ones that inhale the second-hand; smoke from the burning from the cigarette end and smoke breathed by the smoker.
Editor’s note | Cause of smoking
In this pandemic situation, try to maintain social distancing. If you visit any counseling center or hospital, make sure that they are sanitizing everything and also they should check the temperature of the body for everyone. Generally, smokers will tend to have low immunity power, so they are having a high risk to get infections. These people will have respiratory problems, so furthermore, COVID- 19 can easily affect and lead them into further complications which can lead to death. So quitting smoking and following the proper hygiene CDC recommended rules will help you to get rid of the further consequences.
