Cigarettes Health Risk

Life is at the stake, smoking does more harm than good

Smoking is a reaper

Say No to smoking

You Need To Quit Smoking , WHY ?

Most people know that smoking can cause lung cancer, but it can also cause many other cancers and illnesses.

Smoking directly causes over 100,000 deaths in the UK each year and contributes to many more.

Of these deaths, about 42,800 are from smoking-related cancers, 30,600 from cardiovasculer and 29,100 die slowly from emphysema and other chronic lung diseases.

Other risks caused by smoking

• Smoking raises blood pressure, which can cause hypertension (high blood pressure) – a risk factor for heart attacks and stroke.
• Couples who smoke are more likely to have fertility problems than couples who are non-smokers.
• Smoking worsens astma and counteracts asthma medication by worsening the inflammation of the airways that the medicine tries to ease.
• The blood vessels in the eye are sensitive and can be easily damaged by smoke, causing a bloodshot appearance and itchiness.
• Heavy smokers are twice as likely to get macular degeneration, resulting in the gradual loss of eyesight.
• Smokers run an increased risk of cataracts.
• Smokers take 25 per cent more sick days year than non-smokers.
• Smoking stains your teeth and gums.
• Smoking increases your risk of periodontal disease, which causes swollen gums, bad breath and teeth to fall out.
• Smoking causes an acid taste in the mouth and contributes to the development of ulcers.
• Smoking also affects your looks: smokers have paler skin and more wrinkles. This is because smoking reduces the blood supply to the skin and lowers levels of vitamin A.
  
  Passive Smoking
  
  The 'side-stream' smoke that comes off a cigarette between puffs carries a higher risk than directly inhaled smoke.
  Children who grow up in a home where one or both of their parents smoke have twice the risk of getting asthma and asthmatic bronchitis. They also have a higher risk of developing allergies.
  Infants under two years old are more prone to severe respiratory infections and cot death.
  For adults, passive smoking seems to increase the risk of lung cancer, but the evidence for an increased risk of heart disease is not yet conclusive.