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
