OVERVIEW OF SMOKING & HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING

Tobacco has a negative effect on almost every organ of the body. According

to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, tobacco use is the leading

preventable cause of death in the United States, resulting in more than 443,000

deaths each year. Worldwide, recent studies have shown that tobacco is responsible

for about  6 million deaths each year.

In March 2012, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services reported

that, from 1975 to 2000, nearly 800,000 deaths from lung cancer in the United States

were prevented due to declines in smoking as a result of tobacco control

programs and policies. This data was presented in the Journal of the National

Cancer Institute (NCI) and the research was funded by the NCI. The U.S. Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the overall rate of cigarette

smoking in adults over the age of 18 in the United States in 2012 was just over 18

percent, down from about 30 percent in 1985.

Cigar smokers and smokeless tobacco (chew or spit tobacco) users have

similar health risks as cigarette smokers.

Effects of Secondhand Smoke

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)—or secondhand smoke—results in

approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths per year in non-smokers. Secondhand

smoke is what is given off by the end of the burning cigarette and by the smoker's

exhalations.

Short-term Effects of Smoking

Short-term effects of smoking include more frequent respiratory illnesses such as

coughs, colds, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Among children and adolescents exposed

to secondhand smoke, rates of asthma, ear infection and lower respiratory infections

are higher.

Long-term Effects of Smoking

The long-term effects of smoking are extensive. There are numerous diseases linked

to smoking. Smoking can cause cancer of the mouth and throat and lung cancer,

and can increase the risk for stomach (gastric) cancer, kidney cancer, bladder

cancer, cervical cancer, and pancreatic cancer. About one third of all cancers are

linked to tobacco use—and 90 percent of lung cancer cases are linked to smoking.

Smoking also causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, (e.g.,

emphysema, chronic bronchitis), which is severe lung damage. Smoking reduces

blood circulation and narrows blood vessels, depriving the body of oxygen and

increasing the risk for heart disease. Non-smokers who are exposed to secondhand

smoke are 25 percent more likely to develop heart disease. Smoking also doubles

the risk for stroke and increases the risk for developing cataracts.

Smoking poses additional health risks for women. It increases the risk for rheumatoid

arthritis (RA) and leads to loss of bone density (osteoporosis), increasing the

chances of hip and spine fractures in postmenopausal women. Women of

childbearing age who smoke face higher rates of infertility and greater risks

for complications during pregnancy. Smoking during pregnancy also increases the

unborn baby's health risks (e.g., premature birth, respiratory illnesses, low birth

weight). After birth, the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)doubles for

babies exposed to secondhand smoke.

Children and teens are especially vulnerable to the hazards of smoking. Because

their bodies are not fully mature, smoking interferes with normal lung development in

those who begin smoking as children or adolescents. Young people who smoke may

become more strongly addicted to cigarettes and face an even greater risk for

developing lung cancer than those who start smoking later in life. Every day,

approximately 4,000 children under the age of 18 try a cigarette for the first time and

1,000 become regular smokers.Teenagers who smoke are more likely to have

depression or other psychological problems. They are also more likely to engage in

other dangerous behaviors, such as using alcohol and other drugs.

Electronic cigarettes (also known as e-cigarettes) are battery-operated devices

that often are designed to look, feel, and taste like tobacco cigarettes. These

devices, which may be marketed to young people and sold as a safer alternative to

smoking, contain nicotine, flavors, and other substances that are turned into a vapor

and are then inhaled.

In July 2009, several public health organizations, including the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), determined that e-cigarettes

contain toxic chemicals and cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) and that health

claims made by manufacturers of these devices are unproven.

In February 2013, the CDC reported that the use of e-cigarettes increased from about 10 percent of all adult smokers in 2010 to about 21 percent in 2010. It's estimated that in 2011, 1 in 5 adults who smoke cigarettes tried electronic cigarettes. According to the CDC, the impact of e-cigarettes on long-term health must be studied further.

According to the FDA, steps were taken in February 2014 to stop the sale and

distribution of 4 tobacco products currently on the market in the United States (Sutra

Bidis Red, Sutra Bidis Menthol, Sutra Bidis Red Cone, and Sutra Bidis Menthol

Cone). This action marks the first time the Agency issued this order under the Family

Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act to regulate products that are not found

to be substantially equal to other marketed tobacco products. The Act required

companies to submit an application for these products to the FDA by March 2011.

Publication Review By: Karen Larson, M.D.,Stanley J. Swierzewski, III,

M.D.

Published: 15 Jul 2006

Last Modified: 14 May 2014