
Smoking affects many respiratory systems. It is considered to be very dangerous to the “lungs”. When smoking, it affects the entire upper respiratory system, from the nose, throat, trachea, and neck, to the respiratory system in the chest, the lower respiratory tract, and deep into the lungs. Because cigarette smoke contains toxins and carcinogens. The most important toxin is nicotine, which is dangerous to both the smoker and those close to them who inhale the air with cigarette smoke, putting them at risk of many serious diseases that damage the lungs.
Nicotine causes blood vessels to constrict, leading to heart disease, high blood pressure, and stimulating the nervous system. Carbon dioxide causes the heart and other parts of the body to receive less oxygen, resulting in easy fatigue and being a major cause of heart disease.
Tar is a lung carcinogen, a cause of emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Nitrogen dioxide is a toxic gas that damages the lining of the bronchial tubes and alveoli, causing emphysema.
Hydrogen cyanide causes coughing, phlegm and chronic inflammation of the blood vessels. These toxins cause serious diseases such as cerebral infarction, various cancers, sexual dysfunction and are also the cause of coronary artery disease, สนใจสมัคร? คลิกที่นี่เพื่อเริ่มต้น which is considered a major public health problem in Thailand and around the world.
Common lung-damaging diseases
Lung cancer
It is caused by the lungs being exposed to toxic or carcinogenic chemicals through inhalation. 85-90 percent of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking.
Symptoms of lung cancer
- Chronic cough, bloody sputum, shortness of breath
- Other symptoms may also occur, such as bone pain and headache, if the disease has spread to other organs.
- Risk group: If coughing continues for more than 3 weeks or coughing abnormally, always consult a doctor.
Emphysema
The human lungs are made up of millions of tiny alveoli. These alveoli are smaller than the tip of a needle. Their walls are very thin and they are lined with capillaries. When you breathe in, oxygenated air reaches the tiny alveoli. Oxygen passes through the alveolar walls into the capillaries to supply the body. Carbon dioxide is expelled from the capillaries into the alveoli and is expelled from the body during exhalation.
When you smoke, cigarette smoke is drawn into your airways and into the lungs’ air sacs, where the nicotine and other chemicals in cigarette smoke are absorbed into the capillaries lining the air sacs. Nicotine is then carried through the bloodstream to the brain, where it becomes addictive.
Symptoms of emphysema
- Chest tightness
- Shortness of breath due to rapid deterioration of the lungs
tuberculosis
Lung tissue damaged by toxic substances in cigarette smoke reduces the efficiency of eliminating inhaled tuberculosis germs. As a result, smokers are more susceptible to tuberculosis infection. Smokers who are infected with tuberculosis germs will not be able to control the germs, resulting in pulmonary tuberculosis.
In people who smoke and have tuberculosis, the disease is more severe, spreads faster, and is harder to treat. People who smoke and have tuberculosis have a 3-4 times higher chance of dying.
Symptoms of Tuberculosis
- Cough for more than 2 weeks
- Coughing up bloody sputum
- Weight loss, fatigue, easy fatigue
- Chest pain while breathing or coughing
- Loss of appetite
- Low-grade fever, night sweats
Allergy
It causes irritation to the bronchial surface, resulting in the secretion of more lymph than normal. Cigarette smoke causes the tiny hairs on the bronchial surface to stop working. Normally, the tiny hairs function by waving dust and mucus out of the bronchi. When cigarette smoke causes the tiny hairs to stop working, dust and mucus remain in the bronchi. In people with asthma, if they smoke or are exposed to cigarette smoke, the symptoms will be more severe and difficult to control. The lungs will deteriorate faster, the body will respond less to treatment, and more medication will be required.
How does asthma occur?
In people with asthma, when the air contains an allergen or irritant that irritates the bronchial tubes, the bronchial surface becomes inflamed, the muscles around the bronchial tubes contract, causing the bronchial openings to become smaller, making it difficult to breathe in and out, leading to asthma attacks.
Cigarettes are harmful to health, both for the smoker and those close to him who inhale the smoke, because cigarette smoke contains substances that are harmful to health. Therefore, the best way to treat your lungs is to quit smoking and try to avoid exposure to second- and third-hand smoke. Everyone can reduce their risk of developing serious diseases simply by “quitting smoking.”