According to various estimates, from 50 to 80 million people died during the Second World War. Horrific figures. But they are not the worst. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, 7 million people die each year from the effects of smoking. Moreover, it includes diseases caused by smoking, and fires from lit cigarettes. This information is publicly available, but even it cannot protect people from such a addiction. The smoker's brain includes a simple defensive reflex: "It will not affect me." Do not cherish yourself empty hopes. Touches. And often even much earlier than old age.
Causes of disease
Diseases from smoking arise due to various toxic substances that are part of the chemical composition of cigarette smoke. When burning cigarettes emit about 4 thousand different compounds, some of which are classified as carcinogens. The basis of tobacco smoke are: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, isoprene, hydrogen cyanide, ammonium, acetone, acetaldehyde. In addition to these gases, particles of heavy metals, such as lead, are also present in the smoke.
Gradually, these components accumulate in the body. There is a "launch" of diseases. From smoking you can get a variety of ailments. For example, many asthmatics would be completely healthy if they hadn’t decided to smoke their first cigarette once in their lives. What are the most common smoking ailments?
Lung cancer
Now, about 90% of lung cancer cases occur in smokers. Among patients, only 40% of people survive. The rest due to this disease from smoking die. The problem also lies in the fact that patients simply ignore the initial form of the course of the disease. The first symptoms do not cause any anxiety:
- A small hoarse voice that appears and is lost on its own.
- Dry cough.
- Whistling while breathing.
- A slight increase in temperature (most often in the evenings).
- Dyspnea.
- Weight loss.
Most patients at this stage do not pay any attention to the disease. The tumor gradually progresses, worsening symptoms. The patient begins to suffer from pain in the chest area, a strong cough with sputum separation. Some problems with swallowing and swollen lymph nodes in the clavicle area are likely.
Most often, this type of oncology is detected in a patient only at stages 3-4 of the course of the disease. A cure in this case is possible, but the likelihood of a favorable prognosis is extremely low. Therefore, it is advisable to undergo an appropriate medical examination annually.
Laryngeal cancer
This disease from cigarette smoking occurs mainly among men. In women, this type of oncology is much less common. According to medical statistics, 90% of patients with laryngeal cancer are men aged 40 to 60 years. Moreover, 99% of them are heavy smokers. Characteristic signs of the first stage of the disease include:
- hoarseness;
- pain when swallowing;
- a feeling of a foreign body in the throat;
- decreased appetite;
- loss of vitality;
- constant lethargy.
Symptoms are quite characteristic, but often doctors give the patient erroneous diagnoses. For example, the first stage of laryngeal cancer can be easily confused with laryngitis. Metastases spread very quickly, so in 25% of cases, treatment begins when the tumor has already affected the rest of the larynx.
In the treatment of this disease caused by smoking, doctors combine radiation and surgical methods. Chemotherapy, as an independent method of treatment, is not used. The fact is that in this case it is extremely inefficient.
Survival of patients directly depends on the stage of development of the disease at which treatment was started. For example, at the beginning of therapy in the first and second stages, the five-year survival rate reaches 90%. With therapy in the third stage, this indicator does not exceed 67%.
Emphysema
Pretty dangerous lung disease. It does not directly develop from smoking, but smokers are at increased risk. The fact is that people with chronic bronchitis or asthma can suffer from emphysema. With this disease, the lung tissue gradually loses its elasticity and air does not completely leave the lungs. With improper treatment or its complete absence, emphysema leads to impaired heart function.
In some cases, bullous emphysema is observed. Such a disease is asymptomatic, diagnosis can be made only at the last stages of the disease. In the presented case, it is impossible to do without surgical surgery.
For treatment, doctors recommend:
- give up cigarettes;
- perform oxygen therapy;
- do breathing exercises.
Bullous emphysema is treated only surgically. There are no other options in this case.
Atherosclerosis
A dangerous vascular disease, one of the triggering factors of which is smoking. According to the European Cardiological Community, this disease most often develops in smokers. In fairness, there are some other risk factors that should be mentioned:
- diabetes;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- hereditary predisposition;
- hyperlipoproteinemia and some others.
It is this pathology that underlies all deaths from cardiovascular diseases. With this disease, there is a gradual deposition of cholesterol and other types of fat on the inner walls of blood vessels. As a result, the lumen of arteries and capillaries decreases, which leads to obstruction of blood flow. The person begins to feel the first symptoms in those cases when the plaque closed more than 75% of the lumen of an artery or capillary.
Atherosclerosis of the branches of the aortic arch leads to a deterioration in the blood supply to the brain. As a result, the patient complains of frequent dizziness. As a result, even a stroke may develop.
With coronary artery atherosclerosis, there is a risk of coronary heart disease. During atherosclerosis of the arteries that feed the intestines with blood, the following can develop:
- Necrosis of the intestinal wall.
- Abdominal toad.
Often this disease also affects the arteries that supply blood directly to the kidneys. In this case, the patient has a constant increased pressure. Such arterial hypertension is practically untreatable. Over time, renal failure begins to progress against its background.
With atherosclerosis of the arteries of the lower extremities, acute pain during movement is observed, which completely disappears when stopped. Patients complain of some heaviness in the legs. Such a disease can subsequently lead to tissue necrosis and amputation.
It is impossible to independently diagnose atherosclerosis. The early stages of this disease from smoking are completely asymptomatic. It will be possible to identify the problem only using the method of ultrasound dopplerography of blood vessels.
Several treatment options have been proposed. For example, a patient is prescribed a course of special drugs whose action is based on blocking cholesterol synthesis. When forming large fatty plaques, their removal is carried out surgically.
The prevention of atherosclerosis is very simple. It is necessary to completely abandon addiction, lead a more active lifestyle and reduce the amount of fatty foods in the diet.
Eye diseases
Tobacco smoke contains many harmful substances and compounds. At the same time, the work of capillaries and blood vessels is severely disturbed in smokers. The combination of both factors leads to a decrease in visual acuity in humans. What diseases causes smoking in this case? The final list includes:
- Cataract.
- Macular degeneration.
- Conjunctivitis.
- Macular degeneration.
In fairness, it is worth noting that smoking only increases the likelihood of developing these diseases. It cannot be the only reason for their appearance.
Stomach diseases
Gastritis is also a disease caused by smoking. Of course, the triggering factors in such a digestive system disorder are significantly higher. For example, quite often gastritis develops against the background of an improper diet, errors in the menu, and stress. Recently, it has been proven that this disease occurs due to specific microorganisms living on the mucous membrane.
Nicotine also makes its negative contribution. The intake of this alkaloid in the body leads to an increase in the rate of synthesis of hydrochloric acid. Carbon monoxide contained in tobacco smoke is 300 times faster bound by hemoglobin than oxygen. Against this background, oxygen starvation of many cells and tissues is observed. Various morphological changes take place on the gastric mucosa, which leads to increased reproduction of Helicobacter pylori. The result is an inflammatory process, the appearance of characteristic cutting pains, heartburn. It is because of this that many heavy smokers often complain of various stomach problems.
Refusal from cigarettes is necessary even with already diagnosed gastritis. The fact is that regular poisoning of the body will exacerbate the problem. As a result, a stomach ulcer may develop. Of course, this disease associated with smoking occurs for a number of other reasons. Cigarettes only make it worse.
Heart diseases
Smoking and heart disease are directly related. As mentioned above, tobacco smoke contains a lot of carbon monoxide. It binds hemoglobin, causing the blood to thicken. The heart has to make more efforts to transport it throughout the body. Oxygen starvation and decreased lung function also have a detrimental effect. Pathological changes occur in the heart, leading in some cases even to the death of the smoker. Doctors say that for men who have some dependence on tobacco, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease increases 10-15 times compared with non-smokers.
Smoking increases the risk of developing the following diseases:
- myocardial infarction;
- coronary artery disease;
- aortic aneurysm.
Examples of diseases caused by smoking, in this case, you can give a very, very many. It is important to understand another pattern. Firstly, the risk of developing a disease directly depends on the number of cigarettes smoked. Secondly, the chance of a heart attack increases in those cases when a person smokes cigarettes with flavors, for example, menthol. Such supplements reduce bronchial irritation, which slightly reduces coughing. That's just a double burden on the heart.
Impotence
The causes of erectile dysfunction can be many. For example, impotence can develop against a background of stress, constant fatigue, an intense rhythm of life. Smoking is also detrimental. Moreover, the action takes place in several directions at once.
First, nicotine gradually reduces the amount of testosterone produced by the male body. As a result of this, libido decreases, attraction to the opposite sex decreases.
Secondly, cigarettes have a negative effect on blood vessels, significantly reducing their throughput. Researchers from the United States found that men who smoke 20 cigarettes a day for 10 years, in 60% of cases experience serious problems with sexual life in 40 years or more. For many, the onset of impotence is even lower.
After refusal
The risk of developing various dangerous ailments is also possible after smoking. Diseases (lung oncology, heart attack, and a number of others) can overtake a smoker even after he completely abandons tobacco. For example, Allen Carr, the creator of the world-famous easy way to quit cigarettes, died of lung cancer. The disease overtook him 23 years after he completely abandoned tobacco and began to promote a healthy lifestyle and his own treatment method.
Smoking and psychology
Smoking is a human disease precisely in psychological terms. The fact is that discomfort after refusal lasts no more than 2-3 weeks. In some cases, withdrawal symptoms disappear in 3 days. Complete removal of nicotine from the body occurs in 48 hours. Moreover, the smoker does not experience any physical pain. A breakdown is due to the fact that a person sees support in a cigarette, a way to pass the time, a relaxation option. That is, the dependence is more psychological than physiological.
Smoking and beauty
There are many diseases from smoking. The reasons for quitting this addiction in this case are understandable without further explanation. However, cigarettes adversely affect the appearance of a person. This is manifested in the following points:
- yellow teeth;
- earthy complexion;
- hair loss.
For many people, the most effective motivation for rejection is to improve their appearance.
Instead of totals
There are many methods of dealing with this addiction. They differ both in the way they affect the smoker and in their effectiveness. You must not stop trying to refuse until you completely overcome this dangerous habit.