We know that “Smoking kills” or at least this is the message that we can read in each and every packet of tobacco that is sold, but what are the most common diseases associated with tobacco? In addition to cancer or respiratory problems, tobacco can cause other diseases that we will list below.
The most common diseases associated with tobacco
Illnesses caused by tobacco are not contagious, but they limit a person’s daily activities throughout their life and can cause death. Smoking is an important risk factor generating up to a total of twenty-one chronic diseases . Most of these diseases can be prevented by eliminating tobacco from life.
Of all of them, the most common would be the following:
Cancer
Cancer is perhaps the most common disease derived from tobacco use. It can also cause different types of cancers: such as lung, prostate, colon and rectum, or liver.
Coronary heart disease
Smoking tobacco increases the chance of developing coronary heart disease. Smokers are two to three times more likely to have heart disease than non-smokers. Also, when a non-smoker is exposed to secondhand smoke, their risk of having a heart attack increases by 27%. Finally, people with a heart problem make their condition worse if they are exposed to second-hand smoke.
Pneumonia
Smoking or being exposed to secondhand smoke increases the risk of developing pneumonia because tobacco reduces the body’s ability to fight infections.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Smoking is the leading cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This disease, which combines emphysema and chronic bronchitis , prevents people who suffer from it from breathing normally.
Asthma
Smoking accelerates the deterioration of breathing. Asthma symptoms are more common and more severe in people who smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke.
Diabetes
The more a person smokes, the more likely they are to develop diabetes. Smokers are also more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than non-smokers. In addition, smoking increases the risk of diabetes complications and decreases the body’s sensitivity to insulin.
Periodontitis
Smoking reduces blood flow to the gum tissue, changes bacteria in the mouth, and weakens the immune system . All of these consequences make smokers more vulnerable to developing a gum disease called periodontitis .
Stroke
People who smoke are two to four times more likely to have a stroke than non-smokers. The risk varies depending on the number of cigarettes consumed. People exposed to secondhand smoke are also more likely to have a stroke. This is because, like passive smoking, it thickens the blood, blocks the veins and arteries, and increases the heart rate. This phenomenon contributes to the increased risk of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular accidents.
Atherosclerosis
Tobacco use thickens your blood, increases your heart rate, and increases your blood pressure. All these phenomena prematurely damage the veins and arteries. For this reason, smokers are more likely to develop atherosclerosis than non-smokers.
Immunodeficiency
Smoking weakens the immune system. Therefore, smokers are more likely to contract viruses or illnesses than non-smokers.
Other illnesses derived from smoking
The rest of the diseases that arise from smoking would be the following:
- Vision loss : Tobacco smoke contains chemicals that reduce blood flow to the eyes and the amount of oxygen carried in the blood. This phenomenon can cause people who use tobacco to lose their sight.
- Cataracts : Cataract smokers are twice as likely to develop cataracts as non-smokers. Cataract is an eye disease that can be caused by smoking and is a darkening of the lens of the eye that causes blurred vision.
- Age-related macular degeneration: Tobacco use triples the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration. This is a breakdown of the layer of tissue at the back of the eye (macula), which can cause smokers to lose their sight.
- Tuberculosis : Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that most often lodge in the lungs. People who smoke are more likely to contract this disease and die from it than those who do not smoke. In 2018, 860,000 TB cases were attributed to smoking worldwide.
- Thoracic aortic aneurysm : Smoking is an established risk factor for thoracic aortic aneurysm.
- Peripheral arterial disease: People who use tobacco have a higher risk of developing peripheral arterial disease, which is when an artery is blocked, than those who do not. Smoking would even make the disease progress more quickly.
- Effects on the female reproductive system : Smoking decreases the supply of good eggs, which reduces the chances of pregnancy and accelerates menopause.
- Erectile dysfunction: Tobacco clogs blood vessels, causing the arteries in the penis to thicken and can lead to erectile dysfunction in smokers. Smokers are twice as likely to have erection problems as non-smokers.
- Ectopic Pregnancy : Smoking interferes with the transport of the embryo to the uterine cavity, resulting in ectopic pregnancies. The more a woman smokes, the greater the risk of an ectopic pregnancy. Consuming more than 20 cigarettes a day quadruples the risk of having an ectopic pregnancy.
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA): Smoking increases the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. About 20% of rheumatoid arthritis cases are due to smoking. In people genetically predisposed to rheumatoid arthritis, the risk of developing the disease is even higher. In fact, slightly more than half of the cases are attributable to tobacco use.
- Fracture of the femoral neck: Smoking reduces the blood supply to the bones, slows the production of cells that help them form (osteoblasts) and decreases the absorption of calcium. These phenomena weaken the bones of smokers, which favors fractures of the neck of the femur. One in eight hip fractures is caused by smoking.
