The Health Consequences of Smoking on the Human Body

LATEST FINDINGS

The major findings of the Surgeon General's 2004 report are
1. Smoking harms nearly every organ of your body, causing many diseases and reducing your health in general
2. Quitting smoking has immediate as well as long-term benefits, reducing risks for diseases caused by smoking and improving your health in general.
3. Smoking cigarettes with lower tar and nicotine provides no clear benefit to health.
4. The list of diseases caused by smoking has been expanded to include abdominal aortic aneurysm, acute myeloid leukemia, cataract, cervical cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, pneumonia, periodontitis, and stomach cancer.

 THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING ON

THE BRAIN

Smoking is a major cause of strokes.

THE EYES

If you smoke, you have a two to three times greater risk of developing cataracts than a nonsmoker. Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness worldwide.

THE MOUTH, THROAT, LARYNX, AND ESOPHAGUS

Smokers have more periodontitis or gum disease than nonsmokers.
Smoking causes oral or mouth cancer.
When people smoke pipes or cigars, they are also at increased risk of getting mouth cancer. Reducing the use of cigarettes, pipes, cigars, smokeless tobacco and other tobacco products could prevent most of the estimated 30,200 new cases and 7,800 deaths from oral cavity and pharynx cancers annually.
Smoking causes throat cancer.
Smoking causes cancer of the larynx.
Smoking causes cancer of the esophagus.
Esophageal cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States. Reductions in smoking and in use of smokeless tobacco could prevent many of the approximately 12,300 new cases and 12,000 deaths from esophageal cancer that occur annually in the United States.
Smokers are more likely to have upper respiratory tract infections like colds and sore throats due to viral or bacterial infections. Smoking harms the body's ability to fight infections.

THE LUNGS

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
Compared to nonsmokers, men who smoke are about 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer, and women who smoke are about 13 times more likely to develop lung cancer. Smoking causes about 90 percent of lung cancer deaths in men and about 80 percent in women.
In 2003, about 157,200 people died from lung cancer and there were about 171,900 new cases, in the United States.
Smoking low tar-cigarettes does not substantially reduce the risk of lung cancer.
Smoking causes injury to the airways and air sacs of your lungs, which can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States with more than 100,000 deaths per year. Smoking causes more than 90 percent of these deaths.
Smokers have more acute lower respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia or acute bronchitis, than nonsmokers. These are usually diagnosed as infections of the lower respiratory tract (bronchial tubes and lung illnesses). They are caused by viral or bacterial infections.
Smoking is related to asthma among children and adolescents. Asthma is a disease that causes inflammation of the airways, causing them to become constricted, and obstruct airflow in and out of the lungs. There is currently no cure for asthma, which may recur throughout life.
Smoking is related to chronic coughing and wheezing among adults, children, and adolescents.
Smoking during childhood and adolescence retards lung growth. Lung function, which is a measure of how effectively your lungs move air in and out of the body, decreases naturally as you get older, but the decline is faster in smokers.
Smoking during pregnancy causes reduced lung function in infants.

THE HEART

Smoking causes coronary heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. More than 61 million Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and other conditions. More than 2,600 Americans die every day because of cardiovascular diseases, about 1 death every 33 seconds. Cigarette smoking has been associated with all types of sudden cardiac death in both men and women.
Smoking-caused coronary heart disease may contribute to congestive heart failure. An estimated 4.6 million Americans have congestive heart failure and 43,000 die from it every year.
In 2000, about 1.1 million Americans had heart attacks. Even with treatment, 25 percent of men and 38 percent of women die within one year of a heart attack.
Smoking low-tar nicotine cigarettes rather than regular cigarettes does not reduce your risk of coronary heart disease.
Smoking causes atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Poisons in the blood from smoking cigarettes contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. Most cases of coronary heart disease, stroke, and artery disease are caused by atherosclerosis.
Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm, a bulge in the wall of the aorta near the stomach. Each year, about 15,000 Americans die of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. It is the 13th leading cause of death in the United States. Aneurysms are four times more common in men than women.

THE STOMACH

Smoking causes stomach cancer. In 2003, there were an estimated 22,400 new cases of stomach cancer in the United States, and an estimated 12,100 deaths.
Smokers are more likely to have peptic ulcers than nonsmokers.

THE KIDNEYS

Smoking causes kidney cancer.
In 2003, an estimated 31,900 new cases of kidney cancer were diagnosed in the United States, and an estimated 11,900 people died from the disease. It is the tenth leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States.

THE BLADDER

Smoking causes bladder cancer.
In 2003, an estimated 57,400 new cases of bladder cancer were diagnosed in the United States, and an estimated 12,500 people died from the disease.

THE PANCREAS

Smoking causes pancreatic cancer. In 2003, an estimated 30,700 new cases of pancreatic cancer were diagnosed in the United States, and 30,000 deaths were attributed to it.

PREGNANCY

Nonsmokers have fewer complications with pregnancy and have healthier babies than smokers.
The cervix is the lower third portion of the uterus. The baby passes through the cervix when it is born. Smoking can cause cervical cancer. Tobacco use increases the risk of pre-cancerous changes as well as cancer of the cervix.

In 2003, an estimated 12,200 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed, and an estimated 4,100 women died of cervical cancer.

Smoking can cause infertility in women, making it more difficult to start a family.
Smoking is harmful during every part of the development of the baby, and continues to be harmful after a baby is born.

Smoking can cause babies to be born prematurely, and to have low birth weight, respiratory diseases, and other illnesses. Low birth weight is the leading cause of infant death with more than 300,000 deaths each year in the United States.

Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of placenta previa and placental abruption.
Nicotine in cigarettes may cause the blood vessels to constrict in the umbilical cord and uterus, decreasing the amount of oxygen the unborn baby receives. Nicotine may also reduce the amount of blood in the baby's bloodstream, which can contribute to low birth weight.

Women who smoke while pregnant have a higher risk of premature rupture of membranes before labor begins. This can lead to premature birth and possibly infant death.

Secondhand smoke may have terrible effects on a newborn baby. Smoking by mothers causes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Infants exposed to secondhand smoke are at twice the risk of SIDS than unexposed infants.

If a nursing mother smokes, her breast milk may contain nicotine, which may be harmful if a baby drinks it.