Smoking

Smoking harms your body and those around you , quit now

People often start smoking in their teenage years for a number of reasons. Most do it to appears cool and makes them  fit in with their peers. However some start when they are a little older, most claiming stress as the reason to smoke.  Smoking does not only harm the body of the smoker but it also harms those around them, known as second hand smoking. Smoking affects nearly every organ in your body negatively.

Effects of smoking on your body

Compared with nonsmokers, smoking is estimated to increase the risk of—

 Coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times

 Stroke by 2 to 4 times

 Men developing lung cancer by 23 times

 Women developing lung cancer by 13 times

 Dying from chronic obstructive lung diseases (such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema) by 12 to 13 times.

Smoking and Respiratory System

 Bronchitis / emphysema – by causing damage to the airways

 Makes your  asthma worse

 Lung cancer

Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease

 Coronary Artery Disease , leading narrowed vessels in your heart that can lead to  heart attacks and death

 Peripheral Vascular Disease – narrowing of arteries in your legs resulting causing pains in  your calves and gangrene .

 Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm – weakling and possible bursting of the main artery in your body ( the aorta )

Smoking and Cancer

Smoking is known to increase the chances of getting  a  number of cancers including

 Acute myeloid leukemia

 Bladder cancer

 Cancer of the cervix

 Cancer of the esophagus

 Kidney cancer

 Cancer of the larynx (voice box)

 Lung cancer

 Cancer of the oral cavity (mouth)

 Pancreatic cancer

 Cancer of the pharynx (throat)

 Stomach cancer

Smoking has many adverse reproductive and early childhood effects, including increased risk for

 Infertility

 Preterm delivery

 Stillbirth

 Low birth weight

 Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

 Osteoporosis  ( weakling of your bones , which can lead to fracture )

If you are a smoker,quit now.

By;

Dr Boitumelo Pule-Kitchin