1 vote(s).
Smoking-related Disease And What Your Smoking May Be Doing To You
Most people fear falling into bad health or getting some horrible debilitating disease, but many people who smoke either do it under the false pretense that they are invincible or they believe something like that would never happen to them.
The truth of the matter is, anything can happen to anyone and we can only do what we can to take care of ourselves and make sure that we are staying as healthy as possible. It’s bad enough if we have to suffer through illnesses, diseases and defects for which we have no control over, but adding to the list intentionally is downright risky.
Consider this list of smoking-related diseases the next time you go to light up
Smokers die an average of 13 to 14 years sooner than non-smokers. Diseases which have long since been connected to smoking are cancer of the bladder, esophagus, larynx, lung, mouth and throat. In addition, smoking has been linked to chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease and cardiovascular disease. Smoking can also lead to reproductive problems.
Approximately 440,000 Americans die of smoking-related diseases each year. Reports show that more than 12 million people have died from smoking-related diseases since 1964.
Smoking-related diseases cost our nation $75 billion annually. Productivity loss from smoking-related diseases is an estimated $82 billion loss annually. Between 1965 and 2002, the number of smokers dropped by approximately 20%.
Newer findings show that there are more diseases to be added to the smoking-related disease list. Smokers also need to worry about getting acute myeloid leukemia and cancers of the cervix, kidney, pancreas and stomach. Not to mention abdominal aortic aneurysm, cataracts, periodontitis and pneumonia.
When people think of smoking-related diseases, they often think of lung cancer, but what is lung cancer like? Approximately 25% of people diagnoses with lung cancer experience no symptoms at the time of the diagnosis.
Symptoms related to lung cancer are growth of cancer and invasion of the lung tissues and surround tissues, which can interfere with breathing, causing other symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, wheezing and chest pain. Some cancer patients cough up blood.
When lung cancer invades the nerves, it can cause pain to travel throughout the nerves or paralysis of the vocal cords. Invasion of the esophagus can lead to trouble with swallowing and if an airway becomes obstructed, it may collapse a portion of the lung and can cause infection in the obstruction area.
When lung cancer spread to the bones, it can cause excruciating pain at the sites of bone involvement. Cancer which has spread to the brain can cause neurologic symptoms, including blurred vision, headaches, seizures, and symptoms of stroke (weakness or loss of sensation in parts of the body).
Other symptoms associated with lung cancer are weight loss, weakness and fatigue. Some psychological changes such as mood swings and depression may also occur.
Tags: addiction, disease, quit smoking, smoke cessation, smokers, smoking, stop smoking, withdrawal
Click here for Top Quit Smoking Products reviewed by our staff
Print this Article
Sent to Friends
Related Articles
- Help For Depressed Smokers Who Are Trying To Quit- Avoiding Pressure From Other Smokers When You’re Trying To Quit
- How Ets Can Affect Your Children And Why It’s So Dangerous
- Quitting Smoking: Tips For Quitting
- Can A Financial Incentive Help Smokers Quit Smoking Cigarettes?
- Post Your Comment
