Smoking: How does it affect your health?

Health risks

Tobacco smoking is one of the greatest threats to public health. The WHO estimates that up to 6 million people worldwide die prematurely from it each year, 600,000 of them from passive smoking. For Switzerland, the figure is around 9,000 deaths per year. And yet, about 28% of the population still smokes today, causing enormous consequential costs. Tobacco smoking can basically damage every organ of the body. Among the most serious diseases it causes are respiratory diseases such as COPD, various cancers such as lung cancer, and cardiovascular diseases such as a heart attack and stroke. The consequences for reproduction can also be dramatic. To begin with, smoking reduces the likelihood of getting pregnant in the first place and causes erectile dysfunction. During pregnancy, it increases the risk of miscarriage and disability. Finally, it makes newborns more susceptible to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Smoking lowers quality of life and shortens lifespan. It is associated with myriad diseases, from diabetes and arthritis to macular degeneration (Figure). Smoking is not only a risk factor for lung cancer, but is also implicated in the development of other cancers with a poor prognosis (Figure).

Why is smoking harmful?

With each puff, the body is exposed to dozens of carcinogenic and harmful substances contained in tobacco or produced during combustion. The volatile alkaloid nicotine quickly triggers a physical and psychological dependence, which can also make quitting very difficult due to withdrawal symptoms. These include a strong craving for the stimulant (“craving”), a depressive mood, sleep disturbances and irritability. When smoked, nicotine rapidly enters the bloodstream via the lungs and crosses the bloodbrain barrier into the central nervous system within seconds. There it promotes the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and has a similar addictive potential to heroin or cocaine. So there can be no question of personal responsibility and free choice when it comes to smoking.

Smoking Cessation

For the above reasons, smoking is strongly discouraged. The majority of smokers wish to get rid of the bad habit, but only a few are permanently successful. Non-drug measures include, for example, counseling and guidance, exercise and aversion treatments. We refer to various offers, for example, at http://www.stop-tabak.ch/de/ and http://www.at-schweiz.ch In addition, medicines can also help to reduce the withdrawal symptoms of nicotine. Three withdrawal medications are currently approved in many countries. Detailed information on the possible pharmacological interventions can be found under the following agents: Bupropion (Zyban) Nicotine (Nicorette, Nicotinell) Varenicline (Champix).