Harms of Smoking

Smoking cigarettes can have many adverse effects on the body. Some of these can lead to life-threatening complications.

In fact, according to the leading experts in this field, who have been researching this topic for well over a decade, smoking cigarettes increases the risk of dying from all causes, not just those linked to tobacco use.

Smoking cigarettes affects the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the reproductive system, the skin, and the eyes, and it increases the risk of many different cancers.

Over the next two days, we will look at 10 harmful effects of smoking cigarettes.

1. Lung damage

Smoking cigarettes affects lung health because a person breathes in not only nicotine but also a variety of additional chemicals.

Cigarettes are responsible for a substantial increase in the risk of developing lung cancer. This risk is 25 times greater for men and 25.7 times greater for women

The latest studies on this report that roughly 9 out of 10 lung cancer deaths is linked to smoking.

Smoking cigarettes also presents a greater risk of developing and dying from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). In fact, in America, the American Lung Association reports that smoking causes 80 percent of COPD deaths.

Cigarettes are also linked to developing emphysema and chronic bronchitis. They can also trigger or exacerbate an asthma attack.

2. Heart disease

Smoking cigarettes can damage the heart, blood vessels, and blood cells.

The chemicals and tar in cigarettes can increase a person’s risk of atherosclerosis, which is the build-up of plaque in the blood vessels. This build-up limits blood flow and can lead to dangerous blockages.

Smoking also increases the risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD), which occurs when the arteries to the arms and legs start to narrow, restricting blood flow.

Research shows a direct link between smoking and developing PAD. Even those who used to smoke face a higher risk than people who never smoked.

Having PAD increases the risk of experiencing:

blood clots
angina, or chest pain
a stroke
a heart attack

3. Fertility problems

Smoking cigarettes can damage a female’s reproductive system and make it more difficult to get pregnant. This may be because tobacco and the other chemicals in cigarettes affect hormone levels.

In males, the more cigarettes a person smokes and the longer they smoke for, the higher the risk of erectile dysfunction. Smoking can also affect the quality of the sperm and therefore reduce fertility.

4. Risk of pregnancy complications

Smoking can increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy and reduce the baby’s birth weight.

According to the leading experts, smoking can affect pregnancy and the developing foetus in several ways, including:

increasing the risk of ectopic pregnancy

reducing the baby’s birth weight

increasing the risk of preterm delivery

damaging the foetus’s lungs, brain, and central nervous system

increasing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome

contributing to congenital abnormalities, such as cleft lip or cleft palate.