Organs Of The Body Affected By Smoking Cigarettes

If you smoke cigarettes regularly, as most smokers do, do you really have any idea how many of the organs in your body you are damaging with the tar and chemicals that are in tobacco? Most smokers have heard about how very bad smoking is for them, but they usually do not do any close investigation into what they are actually doing to themselves because if they did, the majority of them would be scared into quitting as soon as possible. But even then, some smokers just can not give up the habit no matter how knowledgeable they are about the condition of their health.

Everyone knows that the lungs are highly adversely affected by smoking. They become blackened like charred meat over the years. The tar can and smoke inhalation can begin to make a smoker short of breath simply because they do not get enough clean oxygen. Over time it can lead to bronchitis, asthma, allergies, and emphysema. Eventually a smoker will not not be able to supply themselves with enough oxygen and it could become necessary for them to use an oxygen tank wherever they go. It is a sad way to life when it could have been avoided if they had not smoked at all.

Heart disease can also be caused from smoking. It is thought that up to or exceeding 20% of heart disease deaths in this country each year are directly related to smoking cigarettes or other tobacco products. Up to and possibly exceeding 20% of all deaths from heart disease are directly related to smoking in men and women. Women especially who take birth control pills and also smoke increase their risk for vascular disease, strokes, and heart attacks. If you are a woman that uses birth control pills, you definitely should not smoke tobacco.

When you get cancer in the pancreas it is caused by abnormal cell growth in the pancreas tissues. The pancreas plays a role in digestion by producing enzymes and and other juices that help. It is not necessarily clear what the exact cause of pancreatic cancer is, but it is well known that smoking can cause the risk of developing it to become significantly higher. If a person quits smoking that does not have pancreas problems, they will reduce the risk of developing it. Normally, the older a person is the greater the risk as well especially if they smoke.

While these are the organs that smoking can affect a great deal, hardly any organ of the body is spared from at least some damage due to smoking. Other common issues associated with this habit is cancer on the esophagus, larynx, and throat. Many of theses conditions can be avoided by most people if they just would not smoke at all.