It is not always cancer or heart disease that kills smokers. There are a lot more…
HAIR LOSS. Smoking weakens the immune system leaving the body more vulnerable to diseases such as crythematosus which can cause hair loss, ulceration in the mouth and rashes on the face, scalp and hands.
CATARACTS. Smoking is believed to cause or worsen several eye conditions. Those who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day are twice likely to develop cataracts – a clouding of the eye lens that blocks light and may lead to blindness. Smoke causes cataracts in two ways: by irritating the eyes and by releasing chemicals into the lungs that then travel up the bloodstream to the eyes.
WRINKLING. Smoking prematurely ages skin by wearing away proteins that give it elasticity, depleting it of Vitamin A and restricting blood flow. Smoker’s skin is dry, leathery and etched with tiny lines, especially around the lips and eyes. In one study, smokers in their 40s had facial wrinkles similar to those nonsmokers 20 years older.
HEARING LOSS. Because smoking creates plaque on blood vessel walls, decreasing blood flow to the inner ear, smokers can lose their hearing earlier than nonsmokers (up to 16 years sooner, according to one study) and are more susceptible to hearing loss caused by ear infections or loud noise.
SKIN CANCER. Smoking does not cause melanoma (a sometimes deadly form of skin cancer), but it does increase your chances of dying from it (this may be because smoking impairs the immune system). And smokers have a 50 percent greater risk of contracting squamous cell carcinoma – a cancer that leaves scaly, reddish eruptions of the skin.
TOOTH DECAY. Smoking interferes with the mouth’s chemistry, creating excess plaque, yellowish teeth and contributing to tooth decay. Smokers are one and a half times more likely to lose their teeth.
LUNG AILMENTS. In the Soviet bloc, around 88,000 smokers die each year from debilitating lung conditions other than lung cancer. Emphysema is a swelling and rupturing of the lung’s capacity to take in oxygen (and expel carbon dioxide). In extreme cases, a trachetomy helps patients breathe. An opening is cut in the windpipe, allowing a ventilator to force air into the lungs. Chronic bronchitis, on the other hand, creates a build-up of puss-filled mucus, resulting in a painful cough and breathing difficulties.
OSTEOPOROSIS. Carbon monoxide, the main poisonous gas in car exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke, binds to blood much more readily than oxygen, cutting the oxygen-carrying power of heavy smokers’ blood by as much as 15 percent. As a result, smokers’ bones lose density, fracture more easily and take up to 80 percent longer to heal. Those who smoke more than one pack per day are more susceptible to back problems. One study shows that industrial workers who smoke are five times more likely to experience back pain after an injury.
HEART DISEASE. Smoking-related cardiovascular disease kills more than 600,000 people each year in the world’s developed countries. Smoking makes the heart beat faster, raises blood pressure and increases the risk of hypertension and clogged arteries.
STOMACH ULCERS. Smoking reduces resistance to the bacteria that cause stomach ulcers. It also impairs the stomach’s ability to neutralize acid after a meal, leaving the acid to eat away at the stomach lining. Ulcers in smokers are harder to treat and more likely to recur.
DISCOLORED FINGERS. The tar in cigarette smoke collects on the fingers and fingernails, staining them yellowish-brown.
CERVICAL CANCER. Besides increasing risk of cervical cancer and uterine cancer, smoking can create fertility problems for women and complications during pregnancy and child birth. And smoking lowers estrogen levels, speeding up menopause.
DEFORMED SPERM. Smoking can deform sperm and damage its DNA, causing miscarriage or birth defects. In fact, men who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day have an extra 42 percent risk of fathering a child who contracts cancer. Smoking also diminishes sperm count and reduces the blood flow to the penis, sometimes causing impotence.
PSORIASIS. Smokers are two to three times as likely to develop psoriasis, a non-contagious inflammatory skin condition that leaves itchy, oozing red patches all over the body. While researches are not sure how smoking aggravates psoriasis, they hypothesize that smoking may alter white blood cells or release high levels of toxic chemicals.
BUERGER’S DISEASE. Smoking can damage blood vessel walls, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood to the extremities. In serious cases, Buerger’s disease can lead to gangrene (the death of body tissue) and even the amputation of a limb.
CANCER. At least 60 elements in tobacco smoke have been shown to cause cancer, according to Action on Smoking and Health, an anti-smoking group in the UK. Male smokers are 22 times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers. And according to a number of studies, the longer one smokes, the greater the risk of developing a number of other cancers, including cancer of the nose (2x greater); tongue , mouth, salivary gland and pharynx (6x for women and 27x for men); throat (12x); esophagus (8-10x); kidneys (5x); penis (2-3x); and anus (8-9x). The link between smoking and breast cancer is perhaps the most controversial. While some evidence suggests smoking increases a woman’s risk of developing the cancer, other evidence indicates that, by lowering estrogen levels, smoking actually reduces the risk.
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Philippines Department of Health poster
designed by Nong Mendoza
HAIR LOSS. Smoking weakens the immune system leaving the body more vulnerable to diseases such as crythematosus which can cause hair loss, ulceration in the mouth and rashes on the face, scalp and hands.
CATARACTS. Smoking is believed to cause or worsen several eye conditions. Those who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day are twice likely to develop cataracts – a clouding of the eye lens that blocks light and may lead to blindness. Smoke causes cataracts in two ways: by irritating the eyes and by releasing chemicals into the lungs that then travel up the bloodstream to the eyes.
WRINKLING. Smoking prematurely ages skin by wearing away proteins that give it elasticity, depleting it of Vitamin A and restricting blood flow. Smoker’s skin is dry, leathery and etched with tiny lines, especially around the lips and eyes. In one study, smokers in their 40s had facial wrinkles similar to those nonsmokers 20 years older.
HEARING LOSS. Because smoking creates plaque on blood vessel walls, decreasing blood flow to the inner ear, smokers can lose their hearing earlier than nonsmokers (up to 16 years sooner, according to one study) and are more susceptible to hearing loss caused by ear infections or loud noise.
SKIN CANCER. Smoking does not cause melanoma (a sometimes deadly form of skin cancer), but it does increase your chances of dying from it (this may be because smoking impairs the immune system). And smokers have a 50 percent greater risk of contracting squamous cell carcinoma – a cancer that leaves scaly, reddish eruptions of the skin.
TOOTH DECAY. Smoking interferes with the mouth’s chemistry, creating excess plaque, yellowish teeth and contributing to tooth decay. Smokers are one and a half times more likely to lose their teeth.
LUNG AILMENTS. In the Soviet bloc, around 88,000 smokers die each year from debilitating lung conditions other than lung cancer. Emphysema is a swelling and rupturing of the lung’s capacity to take in oxygen (and expel carbon dioxide). In extreme cases, a trachetomy helps patients breathe. An opening is cut in the windpipe, allowing a ventilator to force air into the lungs. Chronic bronchitis, on the other hand, creates a build-up of puss-filled mucus, resulting in a painful cough and breathing difficulties.
OSTEOPOROSIS. Carbon monoxide, the main poisonous gas in car exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke, binds to blood much more readily than oxygen, cutting the oxygen-carrying power of heavy smokers’ blood by as much as 15 percent. As a result, smokers’ bones lose density, fracture more easily and take up to 80 percent longer to heal. Those who smoke more than one pack per day are more susceptible to back problems. One study shows that industrial workers who smoke are five times more likely to experience back pain after an injury.
HEART DISEASE. Smoking-related cardiovascular disease kills more than 600,000 people each year in the world’s developed countries. Smoking makes the heart beat faster, raises blood pressure and increases the risk of hypertension and clogged arteries.
STOMACH ULCERS. Smoking reduces resistance to the bacteria that cause stomach ulcers. It also impairs the stomach’s ability to neutralize acid after a meal, leaving the acid to eat away at the stomach lining. Ulcers in smokers are harder to treat and more likely to recur.
DISCOLORED FINGERS. The tar in cigarette smoke collects on the fingers and fingernails, staining them yellowish-brown.
CERVICAL CANCER. Besides increasing risk of cervical cancer and uterine cancer, smoking can create fertility problems for women and complications during pregnancy and child birth. And smoking lowers estrogen levels, speeding up menopause.
DEFORMED SPERM. Smoking can deform sperm and damage its DNA, causing miscarriage or birth defects. In fact, men who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day have an extra 42 percent risk of fathering a child who contracts cancer. Smoking also diminishes sperm count and reduces the blood flow to the penis, sometimes causing impotence.
PSORIASIS. Smokers are two to three times as likely to develop psoriasis, a non-contagious inflammatory skin condition that leaves itchy, oozing red patches all over the body. While researches are not sure how smoking aggravates psoriasis, they hypothesize that smoking may alter white blood cells or release high levels of toxic chemicals.
BUERGER’S DISEASE. Smoking can damage blood vessel walls, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood to the extremities. In serious cases, Buerger’s disease can lead to gangrene (the death of body tissue) and even the amputation of a limb.
CANCER. At least 60 elements in tobacco smoke have been shown to cause cancer, according to Action on Smoking and Health, an anti-smoking group in the UK. Male smokers are 22 times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers. And according to a number of studies, the longer one smokes, the greater the risk of developing a number of other cancers, including cancer of the nose (2x greater); tongue , mouth, salivary gland and pharynx (6x for women and 27x for men); throat (12x); esophagus (8-10x); kidneys (5x); penis (2-3x); and anus (8-9x). The link between smoking and breast cancer is perhaps the most controversial. While some evidence suggests smoking increases a woman’s risk of developing the cancer, other evidence indicates that, by lowering estrogen levels, smoking actually reduces the risk.
---
Philippines Department of Health poster
designed by Nong Mendoza
1 comments:
great help, thanks
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