What Are the Dangers Cigarettes Pose to Human Health?
The dangers cigarettes pose to human health are very weighty. The American Lung Association states that one in every three people who smokes will die hurriedly of a disease caused by smoking. And one in every five deaths stems directly from tobacco exposure.
* Rheumatoid arthritis – Smoking is one of the factors responsible for developing rheumatoid arthritis. A study stated that smoking accounts for about 1 in 5 cases of rheumatoid arthritis.
* COPD -This full name of this disease is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and it is the third leading cause of death in the United States of America. People who have COPD live in poor health till they die; they never seem to recover from it.
COPD is a group phrase for a collection of ailments that make breathing in and out a lot more difficult. They include:
* chronic bronchitis – this involves non-stop coughing with a lot of mucus. It goes on without stopping for at least 12 weeks.
* emphysema – this is lack of ability to breathe in and out occasioned by harm to the air sacs.
Smoking is the major cause of COPD and is accountable for 8 out of every 10 cases.
* Sexual problems – Owing to smoking-related damage of the blood vessels supplying blood to the penis, smokers are very likely to suffer impotence or have trouble sustaining an erection in mid-life.
* Ageing. Smokers tend to age faster than non-smokers. They develop more lines on their face at an early age and this often makes them look older than they really are.
* Lung Cancer – smoking unabatedly for a long time causes lung cancer. This smoking-related disease is responsible for 1.3 million deaths yearly, as of 2004. It is sad to note that 60 out of every 100 lung cancer cases crop up in those who have never smoked in life or stopped smoking some years back. Cigarette smoking remains the major cause of lung cancer, while passive (or secondhand) smoke is the principal cause in those who don’t smoke. Passive smoke is said to be responsible for about 3,400 lung cancer deaths annually in those who have never smoked.
* Heart disease – Even though most people associate smoking with lung cancer and COPD, investigations have revealed that smoking is also a leading cause of heart disease for men and women. 20 out of every 100 deaths from heart disease in the United States are said to be closely linked to cigarette puffing.
* Fertility is reduced in smokers (both male and female). This is more pronounced in women as it is connected with not only reduced fertility but a higher threat of miscarriage, stillbirth, untimely delivery, infant death, and is a cause of low birth weight in newborns.
* Menopause -When examined from the average perspective, women who smoke have a menopause 24 months earlier than those who don’t smoke.