Smoking how does it affect your lungs

But it also increases the risk of other respiratory system cancers. These include cancer of the nose, sinuses, voice box, and throat. Smoking also increases the risk of many other cancers of GI gastrointestinal , urinary, and female reproductive systems.

The symptoms of smoking-related lung diseases may look like other lung conditions or health problems. If you have any symptoms of lung disease, see your healthcare provider as soon as possible.

Secondhand smoke is smoke that is exhaled by smokers and smoke emitted from the burning end of a lit cigarette, cigar, or pipe. It can also lead to lung conditions and heart disease. Symptoms linked to secondhand smoke exposure may include:.

Children and infants exposed to tobacco smoke are more likely to experience ear infections, and asthma. They are also at a higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome SIDS than children and infants not exposed to secondhand smoke.

People who quit smoking can actually reverse some of the lung damage. Other benefits of quitting smoking may include the following:. Cigars actually pose the same, if not greater, risk as cigarettes for oral cancer. Although many cigar smokers do not inhale, their risk for oral, throat, and esophageal cancers is the same as for cigarette smokers. Consider these facts from the CDC:. Compared with nonsmokers, cigar smokers who inhale are more likely to develop oral cancer, esophageal cancer, and laryngeal cancer.

Cigar smokers who inhale and smoke 5cigars a day may have a lung cancer risk similar to one-pack-a-day cigarette smokers. Secondhand smoke from cigars contains toxins and cancer-causing agents carcinogens similar to secondhand cigarette smoke, but in higher concentrations. Try to get enough sleep each night and eat healthy. Along with exercise, healthy sleeping and eating habits will help you cope with quitting.

Join a smoking cessation program or support group. These programs are available in most communities. There are also programs available by phone and online:. There are both prescription and over-the-counter medicines that can help you stop smoking.

Talk with your healthcare provider about these medicines and whether or not any of them are right for you. Varenicline tartrate. Though few people are aware, smoking reduces the amount of oxygen your skin receives. In other words, smoking causes your skin to age faster, by years. Facial wrinkling is likely to occur around your eyes and mouth. When you smoke, you have a much greater chance of developing health problems.

Asthma is a chronic airway disease. People with asthma have periods of shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, and cough. Smoking increases the number of deaths from flu and pneumonia. As fewer people smoke, the death rate from flu and pneumonia has also declined. Cigarette smoking is a major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. COPD blocks the flow of air into and out of your lungs. When you smoke, your risk of death from COPD is 10 times greater than if you did not smoke.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Smoking causes 85 percent of lung cancer cases. When people smoke, they pollute the air around them. This secondhand smoke comes from two sources:.

Researchers have studied adult non-smokers who breathe cigarette smoke in the workplace, and results show these adults have impaired lungs. In the United States each year, about 3, people die from lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke. UPMC offers smoking cessation programs to help people quit smoking. We employ 4, physicians, and we are leaders in clinical care, groundbreaking research, and treatment breakthroughs.

Share this on: Burning tobacco produces more than 4, chemicals, including nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tars. Find out how: Smoking changes your lungs and airways.

Quitting smoking can help reduce your risk of many health problems — from a troublesome cough to life-threatening conditions, like COPD and cancer. Secondhand smoke has a harmful effect on your lungs. Here are some of the changes that happen in your lungs and airways when you smoke. More mucus and infections When you smoke, the cells that produce mucus in your lungs and airways grow in size and number.

You will now receive email updates from the American Lung Association. Select your location to view local American Lung Association events and news near you.

Our service is free and we are here to help you. Section Menu. Here are some health consequences of smoking you might not have heard before…. Going Blind Smoking doesn't do your peepers any good. Type 2 Diabetes Smoking contributes to type 2 diabetes and increases the risk of complications from the disease— including poor blood flow to legs and feet.

Erectile Dysfunction Male sexual function is affected when you smoke. Ectopic Pregnancy Ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening reproductive complication in women that is more likely in smokers. Hip Fractures Smokers lose bone density at a faster rate than non-smokers which puts you at risk for breaking body parts like your hip. Colorectal Cancer Colorectal cancer, which forms in your intestines colon or rectum , is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Rheumatoid Arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease more common in women that affects the joints in your hands and feet.

Fertility Issues Moms-to-be take note: Smoking can affect your ability to conceive. Make a Donation Your tax-deductible donation funds lung disease and lung cancer research, new treatments, lung health education, and more. Make a Donation. Sign Up for Email Updates Join over , people who receive the latest news about lung health, including COVID, research, air quality, inspiring stories and resources.