About 1:4 smokers die of diseases directly caused by smoking. Many others suffer years of pain & discomfort. About 1,000 men & women in the U.K. die !b! each week !n! from diseases of the {heart} & {circulation system} caused by smoking.
The 3 main diseases related to smoking are:
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{coronary heart disease}
{lung} {cancer}
{chronic bronchitis} & {emphysema}
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#sectioned heart
/sound effect heart beat loop
/Coronary heart disease
The nicotine raises {blood pressure} & makes the heart work harder. The {heart} needs {oxygen} to do that extra work, but the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke cuts down the amount of oxygen getting to the heart.
With this extra strain on the heart, it is easy to understand how smoking !b! doubles !n! the risk of dying of a {heart attack} (see 'Looking After Your Heart - Reducing The Risk Of A Coronary' section). Young smokers are even more vulnerable, a man under 45, smoking 25+ cigarettes/day, increases the relative risk 10-15 times. The smoker's cough can put further strain on the {heart}.
#smoking lung
/Lung Cancer
Smoking cigarettes is the main cause of {lung} {cancer}. Of every !b!10 !n! people who die of lung cancer, !b! 9 !n! are smokers. The more cigarettes smoked/day & the lower the age at which smoking started, the greater the risk of lung cancer.
Certain cells in the lungs which engulf {bacteria}, also absorb tar from cigarette smoke. Chemicals in the tar can start {lung} cells changing into {cancer} cells. The cancer cells multiply, destroy the lungs & spread around the body to start new cancers.
Symptoms:
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a cough - 1st & most common symptom
coughing up blood
shortness of breath
chest pain
wheezing
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Less than 10% of lung cancer patients survive 5yrs after the disease is diagnosed. The highest chance of cure is when the cancer is discovered & treated early. However, if the {cancer} has spread beyond the chest, a cure is highly unlikely.
#smoking respiratory
/animated 3 f/s
/sound effect breathing
/Chronic bronchitis & emphysema
Diseases often coexist to cause a persistent disruption of air flow into & out of the lungs.
{Chronic bronchitis} is caused when tar & mucus damage the small air tubes & air sacs in the {lungs}. This leads to narrowing of these {airways} causing breathlessness. A persistent cough will also be present.
Smoking stimulates the production of mucus in the lining of the {bronchi} & thickens the bronchi muscular walls & those of the {bronchioles}. Often the person becomes increasingly short of breath & eventually may become housebound.
#Emphysema
{Emphysema} is a disease in which the {alveoli} in the {lungs} become damaged, & lose their elasticity. They become unable to expand & contract. The patient becomes breathless & in severe cases {respiratory} or {heart} failure may occur. There is also a risk for smokers of developing circulatory diseases which, at their worst, can lead to {gangrene} in the leg & leg amputation.
