Health & Science

Smoking is a cause of many serious diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema) and Lung Cancer. Numerous researches have proved that the incidence of these diseases is much higher in smokers than non-smokers.

Cardiovascular diseases include Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack), Angina, Stroke and atherosclerosis. These greatly reduce the life expectancy of an individual and worsen the quality of life. This is also true of other diseases of which smoking is a cause. COPD and Lung cancer are severe respiratory problems which interfere with daily activities and cause intolerance to exercise and exertion. Apart from Lung Cancer, various other cancers are caused by smoking such as those of the throat, mouth, nasal cavity, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and cervix.

Nicotine, an important constituent of Tobacco, causes addiction. When a person smokes, nicotine is absorbed through the lungs into the blood by which it travels to the brain. In the brain, it activates circuits which cause addiction, which means it is hard to stop smoking once started.