SMOKING AND ITS MANY HEALTH RISKS

Smoking is a topic that has generated all sorts of views and comments over the years. It dates back to as early as 5000 BC in the Americas. The arrival of the colonial masters as far back as the 16th century has promoted the farming, buying and selling and resulting use of tobacco.  General pop culture portraying smoking as cool, affluent and attractive on social media and our television screen has not been in any way helpful. The menace smoking has posed to the different organ systems in the body and general health of smokers are quite alarming. Today, we will take a look at the effects of tobacco on the general health, and in subsequent posts, we will discuss reasons to quit smoking and even the journey to quitting.

The Effects of Smoking

A Cause and Promoter of Cancer

Tobacco smoke contains poisons that destroys and causes changes to DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) of the human cell. The DNA is responsible for genetic coding which control normal cell growth and functioning. A damage to the DNA causes cells to grow out of control thereby causing cancerous growth. The toxins from cigarette smokes also impair the immune system of the body, weakening their response to cancer cells allowing for their growth and proliferation.

Lung cancer has been found to be caused mostly by smoking and even in recent times, smoking poses a higher risk for cancer due to the way cigarettes are now made and the chemicals used in their production. Studies show that lung cancer kills more men and women than any other cancer. Cancers caused by smoking also include the following:

  • Cervical cancer
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Kidney cancer
  • Liver cancer
  • Stomach cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Acute myeloid leukemia
  • Bladder cancer, etc.

Heart and Blood vessels

Smoking weakens the walls of blood vessels causing them to balloon out as seen in aortic aneurysm. Progressive weakening could cause rupture of the aorta and other blood vessels which could be fatal. Smoking has also been found to make blood more likely to clot, predisposing plaque (fatty deposits) build up in blood vessels which when dislodged could occlude blood flow to the heart or brain causing heart attack or stroke respectively. Even the limbs are not spared, as blood flow is worsened to the limbs, which causes leg pains while walking, sores could develop and due to the poor blood supply, they do not heal.

Reproduction

In men, optimum erection is made possible by effective blood flow to the penile organ. Due to the effect of smoking on blood vessels, men who smoke are at higher risk of erectile dysfunction. The quality of sperm cells can also be affected thereby reducing fertility.

Women who smoke have been found to have challenges with becoming pregnant. Even when they conceive, they may present with complications during pregnancy and end up with premature births, low birth-weight babies, miscarriages or babies with developmental defects.

The effects of smoking on the general health are quite numerous, some of them include:

  • Accelerated aging, as smokers often look older than they actually are.
  • Diabetes, Type 2 risk is significantly elevated.
  • Increased risk of hypertension
  • Orally, teeth are stained and increased loss of teeth due to gum disease, there is accompanying bad breath also.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Loss of eye sight is commonly seen due to cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
  • Poor wound healing.
  • Weakened immune system increasing predisposition to diseases.

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