Lung Diseases Caused by Smoking

And there you are - One leg up against the wall, the shirt collar pulled up, sleeves folded to the elbow and a cigarette in the mouth. Puffing ring shaped puffs in the air, all casual and suave. Then suddenly a bout of cough - Long drawn and painful. Gasping for air, tears streaming down the eyes, hands clutched to the heart; the cigarette dropped to the floor. Smoke still raising to the air and bringing about more spasms of cough...

That is what happens when there is smoking in a person's life. This and more. Smoking kills, we've all heard. But how does it kill? There are over 500 and more chemicals in cigarettes, did you know? These include nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide etc. So when one smokes a cigarette, he/she is stuffing the body with these poisonous substances and causing untold misery in the form of lung diseases. The dangers of smoking does not stay confined to merely lung diseases however, but affects the rest of the body as well, leading to cardiovascular diseases and a slow degeneration of the body.

Smoking cigarettes causes the chemicals to go directly into the lungs (initially) without distributing anywhere else in the body and the effect is thereby directed exclusively to the lungs. Which means that the lungs suffer the maximum injury. As a result several lung diseases caused by smoking, arise. These diseases do not remain limited to the lungs itself but spread to other parts of the body and cause other complications as well. In this article, we will focus on the varied lung diseases caused by smoking cigarettes.

Lung and Respiratory Diseases Caused by Smoking

Smoking affects the entire air passage and thereby causes maximum damage to the lungs and the airway. The diseases that smoking leads to can vary in severity depending from the consistency and the time period that the activity has been carried out. Here is a list of the diseases that can follow-up as effects of smoking.

COPD
What is COPD? COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and is sometimes also known as COLD (Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease). This is a severe form of bronchitis and emphysema that is characterized by the obstruction of the airway due to the slow collapse of the air sacs. The elasticity of the air sacs and the air way is lost and the organs start getting weaker and weaker. There is a formation of excessive mucus that further blocks the airway and leads to more damage. COPD is a common occurrence in people who are regular smokers as well as those who smoke consistently. The symptoms that it leads to include coughing, chest infections, mucus formation, tightness of chest, shortness of breath and a general difficulty in breathing.

Bronchitis
Bronchitis is caused when there is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes. The chemicals from the smoke cause the bronchial lining to corrode and get irritated. This then leads to severe inflammation and causes uneasiness and burning. To combat this feeling, the body produces an excess of mucus, which causes blockage in the airways and restricts breathing. This can also lead to chronic bronchitis.

Asthma
Asthma is caused when the airway contracts considerably, such that there is difficulty for the air to pass to the lungs successfully. Thus, there is difficulty in breathing. It also causes heaviness and panting when there is mild or heavy activity undertaken. This is because the airway is already compromised and therefore, if there is any activity, there is extra pressure put on the lungs. This also leads to excessive coughing and shortness of breath.

Emphysema
Emphysema is another disease which causes blockage of the airway because of the collapse of the tissues that form the air sacs. Eventually the lung tissue also weakens and causes the air sacs to degenerate. There is severe wheezing and coughing in this condition, which only gets worse with time.

The other diseases that are caused by smoking also include pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis and lung cancer. Some of these conditions, if not detected and treated on time can prove to be fatal.

This article on the varied lung diseases caused by smoking will have helped you understand just how toxic and harmful smoking can be. The very fact that it can cause conditions that could prove to be fatal will help you put things into perspective, take up some stop smoking tips and look through some means of quitting the habit...for good.