Posted: April 29th, 2018

Effects of Smoking on Body Organs

# Effects of Smoking on Body Organs

Smoking is a harmful habit that can damage nearly every organ in the body. It can cause many diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking can also increase the risk of infections, rheumatoid arthritis, eye diseases, and problems with blood clotting. Smoking can reduce the quality of life and life expectancy of smokers. Quitting smoking can lower the risk of these health effects and add years to one’s life.

## Smoking and Cancer

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. It causes about 90% of all lung cancer deaths and about 80% of all COPD deaths. Smoking can also cause cancer in many other parts of the body, such as the bladder, cervix, colon, esophagus, kidney, larynx, liver, mouth, pancreas, stomach, throat, and blood. Smoking can damage the DNA of cells and make them grow abnormally. Smoking can also weaken the immune system and make it harder for the body to fight off cancer cells.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. This is nearly one in five deaths. Smoking causes more deaths each year than HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, and firearm-related incidents combined. More than 10 times as many U.S. citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the United States.

Quitting smoking can reduce the risk of developing cancer over time. The risk decreases depending on the type of cancer and how long one has quit smoking. For example, 10 years after quitting smoking, the risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a person who still smokes.

## Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease

Smoking can also harm the heart and blood vessels. Smoking can increase the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke by 2 to 4 times. Smoking can damage the blood vessels and make them thicken and narrow. This can raise the blood pressure and make the heart work harder. Smoking can also cause blood clots to form in the arteries, which can block the blood flow to the heart or brain and cause a heart attack or stroke.

Smoking can also affect the peripheral arteries that supply blood to the legs and skin. Smoking can cause these arteries to narrow and reduce blood flow. This can cause pain, numbness, or infection in the legs or feet. Smoking can also increase the risk of amputation due to poor circulation.

Quitting smoking can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease within a few years. According to the American Heart Association, within 20 minutes of quitting smoking, the heart rate and blood pressure drop. Within 12 hours of quitting smoking, the carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to normal. Within 1 year of quitting smoking, the excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s. Within 5 years of quitting smoking, the risk of stroke is reduced to that of a nonsmoker’s.

## Smoking and Respiratory Disease

Smoking can also damage the lungs and airways. Smoking can cause COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe and limits daily activities. Smoking can also cause asthma attacks, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and other respiratory infections.

Smoking affects not only smokers but also those who breathe in secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is the smoke from burning tobacco products or exhaled by smokers. Secondhand smoke contains many of the same harmful chemicals as smoked tobacco. Secondhand smoke can cause lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, asthma, ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in nonsmokers.

Quitting smoking can improve lung function and reduce respiratory symptoms within a few weeks or months. Quitting smoking can also lower the risk of developing COPD or dying from it.

## Conclusion

Smoking is a major risk factor for many diseases that affect different organs in the body. Smoking can shorten one’s life span by an average of 10 years compared to nonsmokers. Quitting smoking can reverse some of the damage caused by smoking and lower the risk of many health problems. Quitting smoking is not easy but it is possible with help from health professionals, medications, counseling, support groups, and other resources.

## References

– CDC (2021). Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking [online]. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/index.htm [Accessed 15 Feb 2024].
– Healthline (2020). The Effects of Smoking on Your Body [online]. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/smoking/effects-on-body [Accessed 15 Feb 2024].
– National Cancer Institute (2017). help write my essay on Harms of Cigarette Smoking and Health Benefits of Quitting [online]. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/tobacco/cessation-fact-sheet [Accessed 15 Feb 2024].
– MedlinePlus (2019). Smoking [online]. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/smoking.html [Accessed 15 Feb 2024].

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