Top 10 Diseases Caused by Cigarettes
The Main Diseases Caused By Cigarette stay tuned. In addition, smoking is one of the main causes of disease in the world. Millions of people die every year from diseases triggered by thousands of substances harmful to health present in cigarettes.
The longer the cigarette addiction, the greater the chances of the smoker developing one or more diseases. Cigarette can cause almost 50 different diseases, and this is due to the large amount of chemical substances in its composition, which have bad consequences for health and are responsible for causing cancer in various organs, lung diseases such as bronchitis and emphysema, and diseases cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. So, check out the Top 10 Diseases Caused by Cigarettes:
Pulmonary Emphysema and Bronchitis: Pulmonary emphysema and bronchitis , known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, arise because cigarette smoke causes inflammation in the tissue lining the airways, leading to permanent damage and reducing the lung’s ability to efficient gas exchange.
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The main symptoms of pulmonary emphysema are shortness of breath, chronic cough and frequent cases of pneumonia. Shortness of breath, initially, appears when making efforts, but as the disease worsens, it can appear even when stopped, this is one of the main diseases caused by smoking.
Lung Cancer: When cigarette substances come into contact with the fine tissues of the lungs that make the respiratory exchanges, there is a risk of cancer arising, due to the inflammation and dysfunctions induced by them.
Lung cancer causes symptoms such as shortness of breath, excessive or bloody coughing, and weight loss. However, cancer is often silent and only causes symptoms when it is advanced, so it is important to stop smoking as soon as possible, in addition to making regular follow-ups with the pulmonologist.
Memory Changes: Cigarette smoking is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia, both from Alzheimer’s disease and brain damage resulting from micro-strokes . Dementia syndromes cause memory loss, which worsens over time, and can also cause changes in behavior and communication skills.
Heart attack and stroke: Cigarette causes inflammation in the blood vessel wall , so it increases the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack, stroke , thrombosis and aneurysms, are seen as the main diseases caused by cigarettes.
People who smoke may be more likely to have high blood pressure, have chest pains such as angina, and have fatty plaques in their vessels, for example, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, especially if associated with other risk situations. such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Sexual impotence: Cigarettes cause impotence in men both by altering the release of hormones important for intimate contact and by inhibiting the blood flow that pumps blood to the muscle that maintains an erection.
Thus, the person who smokes cigarettes may have difficulties in initiating or maintaining intimate contact until the end, causing some embarrassment, however, quitting usually reverses this situation partially or completely.
Rheumatic Diseases: Cigarette smoking not only increases the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, with the presence of pain, swelling and redness in the joints, especially in the hands, but also increases the severity and difficulty of its treatment.
Other rheumatic and autoimmune diseases, such as ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and lupus, for example, are also more likely to be diseases caused by smoking , due to increased inflammation and dysfunction of the body’s cells.
Gastric ulcers: Cigarette increases the chances of developing a gastric ulcer by 4 times, as well as other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastritis, reflux and inflammatory bowel disease, for example, due to the increase in inflammation also in the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestine.
Therefore, it is common for people who smoke to have more symptoms such as stomach pain, burning, poor digestion and changes in intestinal rhythm, these are some of the diseases caused by smoking.
Visual changes: Substances in cigarette smoke also increase the risk of developing eye diseases, such as cataracts and macular degeneration, by increasing the chances of cell dysfunction and inflammation.
Cataracts cause blurring or blurry vision, which makes visual ability difficult, especially at night. Macular degeneration causes changes in the center of vision, which becomes blurry and can worsen over time.
Pregnancy complications: In the case of pregnant women who smoke or inhale cigarette smoke in excess, cigarette toxins can cause various diseases, such as miscarriage, fetal growth retardation, premature birth or even death of the baby, therefore, abandon this habit. it is fundamental.
Thus, it is important to observe the presence of bleeding, intense cramps or changes in the growth of the uterus, and it is very important to do prenatal care correctly to identify any changes as soon as possible.
Bladder cancer: Much of the carcinogenic substances in cigarettes that enter the circulation need to be eliminated when passing through the urinary tract, increasing the chances of developing bladder cancer, when they come into contact with the tissue of this organ.
Some signs that this type of cancer can present are bleeding in the urine, abdominal pain and weight loss.
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Note: Even people who smoke little or people who do not smoke, but inhale other people’s cigarette smoke , can suffer from a disease related to this habit, as the toxic substances in cigarette smoke have a high capacity to cause inflammation and changes in cell genetics.