5 Common Signs Of Diseases Caused By Smoking

Introduction

It is a universal fact known by all that smoking is hazardous to health. Despite being well aware of the diseases caused by smoking, many smokers find it next to impossible to quit smoking altogether in their first attempt. It is said that only 7% succeed. This is because the contents of a cigarette include nicotine, which is an extremely addictive substance which triggers most of the diseases caused by smoking.

History

Most of the diseases caused by smoking are fatal. Although awareness about these diseases should be a motivating factor for all smokers, the contents are so addictive that it is hard to quit, even knowing these hard facts.

Features

Lung cancer, perhaps one of the most common and well known diseases, is caused by smoking. In most cases, it can be fatal. The majority of the contents in a cigarette are said to be carcinogens, which is known to develop cancer. There are cells in our bodies that divide to keep our organs and tissues functional. However, the presence of carcinogens in our system causes some of these cells to divide at an increased rate which is not good for our body. This growth at a rapid pace forms a mass that is known as tumor. The benign tumors are of no threat; however, some of these tumors become malignant and in turn infect the cells around it, causing cancer. The lungs of a smoker are coated by a substance known as tar. Basically smoke causes cilia which are the lungs filtering system to paralyze, enabling tar to enter. Mouth cancer is another fatal disease. Signs of this disease are bleeding gums, numbness and difficulty in swallowing. Out of diseases caused by smoking, heart blood pressure is the most common one. When a person smokes, the nicotine is absorbed by blood in turn causing the arteries and blood vessels to constrict. This, as a result, increases blood pressure. This poses great risk of a stroke or a heart attack. Heart related diseases and heart attacks are another side effect of smoking. This is usually caused by clotting of the blood in the arteries. The arteries are walled with a layer of plaque. Blood flowing through a vessel that is constricted by nicotine, the plaque breaks off resulting in clotting. If by any chance this clot develops in one of the vital coronary arteries that surround your heart, the heart muscles fail to receive blood and oxygen, which in turn makes the heart muscles to deteriorate causing permanent damage. Signs are rapid breathing, pain in left shoulder and paralysis. A stroke is another of the fatal effects of smoking. It is caused by clotting in arteries that carry blood to your brain. Oxygen is most vital for the brain to function and when the blood does not flow through and provide that oxygen, the cells in the brain deteriorate eventually causing death. It can also cause permanent damage if it is not treated as soon as possible. Asthma is another disease caused by smoking. It is a result of constriction and spasm in the bronchial tubes. The narrowing of these tubes causes difficulty in normal breathing. It also causes a decreased amount of oxygen flow in the organs. If the asthma reaches an extreme the patient has to be assisted to breathe through intubation. Asthma can also lead to pneumonia. Both asthma and pneumonia can cause the level of oxygen to reduce in the blood stream, resulting in death. A common sign of this disease is increased breathing or difficulty in breathing and palpitation. Signs of pneumonia are high fever and shivering.

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