Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease. This makes your heart beat faster and your blood pressure go up. Clots can also form. Smoking and Respiratory Disease. Smoking and Cancer. Smoking and Other Health Risks. They are also at greater risk for broken bones. Smoking affects the health of your teeth and gums and can cause tooth loss. It can also cause age-related macular degeneration AMD. AMD is damage to a small spot near the center of the retina, the part of the eye needed for central vision.
Quitting and Reduced Risks. Quitting smoking is one of the most important actions people can take to improve their health. This is true regardless of their age or how long they have been smoking. Visit the Benefits of Quitting page for more information about how quitting smoking can improve your health.
Department of Health and Human Services. Atlanta: U. Other genes, called tumor suppressor genes, code for proteins which repair damaged DNA or eliminate damaged cells which cannot be repaired. Several carcinogenic components in cigarette smoke have been found to cause mutations but studies have even shown ways in which tobacco specifically causes the damage which may lead to cancer. For example, some tobacco carcinogens cause mutations in the p53 gene, a tumor suppressor gene that codes for proteins that repair damaged cells or eliminate them so that a cancer cell isn't born.
Finally, in addition to genetic changes caused by smoking, tobacco can cause "epigenetic" changes in lung cells as well. Epigenetic changes refer not to actual changes in the DNA of a cell, but the way that genes are expressed.
According to a study, DNA methylation epigenetic changes that can be detected in the blood of people who smoke are associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.
Just as there are many changes that occur structurally in the lungs of someone who smokes, there are several changes that take place on a functional level as well. Pulmonary function tests comparing people who smoke with those who do not smoke often show changes very early on, even in teens who smoke, and long before any symptoms occur.
Some people who smoke feel reassured that if they are breathing without problems, they don't have a problem. Yet a large percent of lung tissue is usually destroyed before any symptoms occur. To understand this better, consider that people who have a whole lung removed a pneumonectomy , and are otherwise healthy, can adapt so that they can carry on a reasonably normal lifestyle.
Some have even climbed mountains. Smoking can affect measurements of lung function in a number of ways. The total lung capacity TLC , or the total amount of air you can breathe in taking the deepest breath possible is decreased by smoking in several ways. Smoking can result in damage to muscles in the chest reducing the expansion necessary to take a deep breath.
The elasticity of the smooth muscle in the airways is likewise affected, and combined with the loss of elasticity, can limit the amount of air breathed in as well.
And at a microscopic level, when fewer alveoli are present due to destruction by cigarette smoke , or air can't reach the alveoli due to cigarette-related damage to the airways and build up of mucus , the intake of breath is also affected. These forces all work together to decrease lung capacity. If a smoker goes on to develop COPD, their TLC will go up because the obstruction will lead to air being trapped in the lungs and thus overall lung volumes go up.
As TLC goes up, the diaphragms are flattened and put at a mechanical disadvantage for effective ventilation, which leads to significant dyspnea. In addition to lung capacity, smoking results in difficulty in exhaling the carbon dioxide that is transferred from the capillaries in the lungs to the alveoli.
As noted above, decreased elasticity of the larger airways and decreased recoil of the alveoli leads to air trapping. This results in a decrease in forced expiratory volume. Thankfully, researchers have noted that one of the benefits of quitting smoking that occurs after only 2 weeks is an increase in both lung capacity and expiratory volume. It's not just the ability of oxygen to enter and pass down to the alveoli, or even the number of healthy alveoli present.
Oxygen that reaches that alveoli must pass through the single cell lining of the alveoli and then through the double cell layer of the capillaries to reach the hemoglobin in red blood cells to be delivered to the rest of the body.
As noted above, cigarette smoke can affect both the alveoli and the lining of the capillaries making the passage of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the two more difficult. Not only is there less surface area available for gas exchange, but the exchange is compromised. It's harder for oxygen to pass through the scarred walls of the alveoli and capillaries. The diffusing capacity is a pulmonary function test which measures this ability of a gas to make this transition from the alveoli into the bloodstream.
We've known for several decades that cigarette smoking can reduce diffusing capacity. There are many more changes that occur in the lungs of someone who smokes, and the ones mentioned here only touch the surface. We mentioned how cigarette smoke can affect the capillaries, but also affects every blood vessel in the body.
Damage to the larger blood vessels can lead to changes in blood flow that compromise the delivery of blood to the capillaries in the lungs in the first place. And it's not just the arteries. Cigarette smoking is associated with a significantly increased risk of blood clots in the legs deep venous thrombosis. These blood clots can in turn break off and travel to the lungs pulmonary emboli causing further damage, resulting in less healthy lung tissue if a person survives.
While some of these changes are not reversible, it is never too late to quit smoking both to minimize the damage and to allow your body to repair the damage that can be restored and healed. Looking at all of the structural and functional changes in the lungs of someone who smokes stresses the importance of smoking cessation, though it's not just the lungs that are of concern.
There are a multitude of diseases caused by smoking, with tobacco playing a role in nearly every body system. It is also not just lung cancer that is of concern. Take a look at this list of cancers caused by smoking if you still feel any reluctance to stop today. If you still need a few facts to encourage you to quit:. But the news isn't all bad:. Thankfully, quitting smoking at any time can stop further damage from being done to your lungs and can reduce your risk of developing the diseases and cancers linked to the habit.
We know it's not easy. Yet it's possible. Start today with quit smoking lesson - reasons to quit in order to make this attempt your final and successful attempt to kick the habit. It can be somewhat overwhelming to look at the vast number of ways that smoking affects both the structure and function of the lungs, but the important point is that smoking does not affect the lungs in just one way.
Even if we had a way to bypass the damage caused, say, to alveoli, smoking would still be a problem. Despite this vast amount of damage, our bodies are amazingly resilient, and repair begins only seconds after the last puff. So you're ready to finally quit smoking? Cigar smoking can increase the risk of COPD, and lead to cancers of the lung, oral cavity, and larynx, among other cancers. Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems ENDS , like e-cigarettes, are still relatively new tobacco products and are still being evaluated for their impacts on health.
Some e-cigarette aerosols have been found to contain some of the same chemicals in cigarettes, including the lung irritant acrolein, and formaldehyde, which may adversely affect the throat.
Buttery flavors like caramel, toffee, and chocolate contain the chemicals diacetyl and acetoin, which can be harmful to your lungs. When tobacco is inhaled, it interferes with this delicate balance. The best way to ensure lung health is to never start using tobacco, but if you are an addicted smoker, the sooner you quit, the sooner your lungs can begin to heal. Quitting smoking can lower the risk of getting cancer. In fact, when you quit smoking, your risk of:.
Anyone who quits smoking will experience better overall health. Just 12 hours after quitting, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal, allowing more oxygen to circulate to your organs.
Find information about quitting and more resources on tobacco products and their impact on health:. Atlanta, GA: U.
Food and Drug Administration. Women and Smoking. A Report of the Surgeon General. National Cancer Institute. Accessed September 10,
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