Synonyms
Tobacco smoking, nicotine consumption, nicotine abuse
- Lung Cancer
- Throat Cancer
- Heart attack, cardiovascular diseases
- Diseases of the respiratory tract
- Addiction
- Other types of cancer
- Osteoporosis (bone loss)
- Changes of the eyes
- Impotence in men
- In pregnant women the adequate development of the fetus is endangered
The effect of smoking on the blood vessels causes heart attack, stroke or peripheral arterial occlusive disease (pAVK, “smoker’s leg“). Vasoconstriction of the vessels occurs in conjunction with arteriosclerosis, so that the vessels become blocked and cause the above-mentioned diseases. Smoking also has an effect on the respiratory system.
Nicotine users often suffer from acute infections of the respiratory tract and develop COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) over time, characterized by coughing with sputum, shortness of breath (dyspnoea), inflammation of the bronchi (bronchitis) and excessive bloating of the lungs (emphysema). Furthermore, smokers often suffer from chronic bronchitis, since tobacco smoke damages the cilia, the natural defence system of the bronchi that removes foreign bodies. Harmful substances are deposited in this way and provide a breeding ground for germ multiplication (bacteria, viruses), which leads to inflammation.
The damage to the cilia also causes the so-called “smoker’s cough“, which is a defense mechanism of the lungs to eliminate the harmful particles. The respiratory disease asthma is also triggered by smoking. The types of cancer caused by smoking are many and varied.
They can affect the urinary tract (bladder, kidney cancer), female reproductive organs (breast, cervical cancer), the gastrointestinal system (cancer of the colon, oesophagus, liver, stomach, pancreas) or the oral cavity (cancer of the throat, larynx). Cancer of the blood (leukemia) is also a form of cancer associated with tobacco. Smokers also suffer increasingly from osteoporosis (bone loss), since the ingredients of tobacco smoke consume vitamin D to bind free radicals, which is responsible for bone metabolism, among other things.
In addition, some smoke components bind calcium, which is important for the bones. The consequence is increased brittleness of the bones in smokers. Changes in the eyes caused by smoking affect firstly the lens of the eye and secondly the retina.
Tobacco consumption causes changes to the lens, a “cataract” (clouding of the lens) develops. At the retina there are pathological changes of parts of the retina (macular degeneration), which lead to visual disorders. Causes for the mentioned diseases are changes of the eye vessels with subsequent circulatory disorders (lack of oxygen), missing transport of harmful metabolic products as well as transport of toxic smoke components, as a result of which retinal cells die (macular degeneration) or lens clouding occurs (cataract).
Smoking men suffer more frequently from impotence (erectile dysfunction) than non-smokers. This is caused by the vascular changes described above, which also affect the vessels of the penis. Due to the narrowing of the veins, the blood supply to the erectile tissue decreases and thus prevents an erection.
Pregnant women who smoke endanger the unborn child. Tobacco consumption increases the risk of premature birth and growth disorders (dystrophy). In addition, increased child mortality is associated with smoking. Like active smoking, regular passive smoking leads to a variety of diseases:
- Cancer: lung cancer, breast cancer
- Heart diseases
- Stroke
- Respiratory tract: irritation of mucous membranes, respiratory diseases, asthma
- Children: asthma, bronchitis, otitis media
- Infants: lower birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)