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Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. It is estimated that almost 500,000 deaths occur every year because of the harmful effects of cigarette smoking. Smoking for as few as five years can have a permanent effect on many vital organs in the body. This habit contributes to a wide number of diseases, including Coronary Heart Disease, stroke, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Peripheral Peptic Ulcer Disease, and many types of cancer. The following is a summary of how cigarette smoking affects the major systems of the human body. Smoking directly irritates and damages the respiratory tract. As a result, a wide variety of symptoms appears including bad breath, cough, wheezing, and respiratory infections such as Bronchitis and Pneumonia. These effects can be reduced, but not entirely reversed by quitting smoking. Smoking is the primary risk factor for developing COPD i.e., Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema. The younger we begin to smoke, the more severe the respiratory illness. It slows down the rate of lung development and lung function. As one gets older, a smoker’s lung reserve decreases and as a result, he or she may be unable to run or even walk as far or as fast as their peers who have never smoked.
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