Why Cigarettes are Bad for Your Health

According to the World Health Organisation, smoking is a greater cause of death or disability than any other disease. It is responsible for approximately five million deaths worldwide every year.

Smoking cigarettes kills nearly 6 times as many people as road and other accidents, suicide, murder, manslaughter, poisoning, overdoses and HIV all together.

The World Health organisation expects that by 2020, the worldwide death toll associated with smoking will reach 10 million, causing 17.7% of all deaths in developed countries. There are currently believed to be 1.1 billion smokers in the world, 800,000 of them in developing countries.

Cigarette smoking is associated with higher rates of peptic ulcers, stomach disorders and periodontal disease. However, the major risks of smoking are detailed below.

Heart attack and stroke

Studies show that people in their 30s and 40s who smoke are 5 times more likely to have a heart attack than people who don’t. Because tobacco contributes to the hardening of the arteries, blood flow to the heart and the brain can become blocked. This can result in premature heart attack (which can require heart bypass surgery) and stroke.

Lung problems

Lung cancer is a major health risk associated with smoking. Studies have shown that men who smoke are 22 times more likely to die from lung cancer than those who don’t. Women who smoke are 12 times more at risk.

Smoking also increases the risk of cancer of the mouth, larynx, and esophagus, as well as uterine, liver, kidney, bladder, stomach and cervical cancers, and leukaemia.

Healthy Lung (98 kb)	Lung Cancer (133 kb)	Emphysema Lung (77 kb)

Emphysema is another health problem associated with smoking. Emphysema causes abnormal swelling and destruction of lung tissue, which cannot be replaced. This means that breathing becomes an unending continuous struggle.

Effects on children

Smoking when pregnant is associated with smaller birth weight in babies, inhibited child development and an increased risk of miscarriage.
The effects of passive smoking by parents on children are linked to sudden infant death syndrome and higher rates infant respiratory illness, such as colds, bronchitis and pneumonia.